


Tales of the Society: The Azure Age Chapter 5

by LadyofI



Series: Tales of the Society [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Renovations complete
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-19 21:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19980460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofI/pseuds/LadyofI
Summary: With the fifth councilman back in the fold, the Crimson Council is back in action!Or they would be, if there wasn't in-fighting between Tsuneo and Scafe. Can the two settle their differences in time to stop Sylvie or is the Council about to be broken up again?





	1. While the Boys Are Away, the Ponies Will Play

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you're wondering why I didn't upload the rest of this, my lovely husband decided to redo this entire chapter because I ranted how lopsided it was. Leading to about... 5 days? of rewrites, edits and uploading.
> 
> So, yeah, if you spot my husband Teren, thank him for saving my remaining sanity.

_The newer members of the Society sat in silence for a long moment as Max finished the retelling of the battle with Marcell. “Sooo…that was it?” the grey wolf asked. “After months of festering grudges and unanswered questions, the Crimson Council regained its fifth member-” He snapped his fingers for emphasis. “-just like that?”_

_“Of course not, JoJo.” The answer came from Tsuneo himself as he and Irene walked through the door, carrying several large shopping bags._

_“Sorry we’re late,” the butterfly-winged woman said. “Checkout lines were murder…as fucking usual.” She heaved a great sigh as she set her bags on a nearby table. “So, what’d we miss?”_

_“If the topic is any indication…I’d assume that we’re reminiscing on our battle with the Azure Initiative,” Tsuneo replied as he picked out a seat near the edge of the group. “Lemme guess…we’re just finishing up with our business on Zangaikotsu Island, right?”_

_“Right on the nose,” Brian responded. “We were just explaining how Marcell’s ass was handed to him on a silver platter, and_ then _some.”_

_“It sounds like there was still a lot going on after the fact, bro,” a scarf-wearing mantis-man commented. “Lotta tension over Tsuneo’s return…’specially from Scafe.”_

_The dragon in question gave a snort, smoke trailing from his nostrils. “Oh god…I_ still _feel the burn about that even now. To think I could be such a short-sighted jackass…especially with the Azures still at large!”_

_“Yeah. Out of everyone in the Society, I felt more tension from you than anyone,” Tsuneo said. “I wouldn’t have put it past you to fry me on the spot if it weren’t for the others.”_

_“But…you guys are friends again, and that’s what matters~!” B. Nana said, walking in with a bag of goodies. “Though…it_ does _make me wonder…how DID you guys make up? I was kinda out of it back then, ‘specially with the_ other _insanity going on…”_

 _“Yeah, what_ was _the incentive to getting you two to finally make up?” Brian’s brother said, folding his arms. Tsuneo and Scafe looked at each other and shared a quiet chuckle as the former answered the question._

_“Well, Matt…let’s just say that it’s true what they say: The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and after the events that transpired; it was high time that we had to bury the hatchet. And all it took was an unwanted peek at the inner workings on Weiss’s next lackey: that pony-loving psychopath… **Sylvie Prower.** ” He all but spat the name, causing a slight fluctuation in his Vocal Cipher._

_Scafe let out another puff of smoke from his nostrils at the thought of their next Azure opponent. “We’re about to answer the question that_ nobody _wanted to ask: **where do deformed, bloodthirsty, mindless mutant ponies come from?** ” He glanced around the room, taking in the expressions of his peers: shudders of disgust from the ones who were there, apprehensive curiosity from the ones who weren’t. “You…might wanna keep a barf bag handy, ‘cause the answer’s pretty damn gross.” _

_“Hmph… Try me.” Matt smirked behind his mandibles. Scafe and Tsuneo looked at each other once more before turning to the group._

_“Well then…don’t say we didn’t warn you.” A grim smile came behind Tsuneo’s mask. “After we got back to the HQ, the Society gave the new recruits - myself included - a tour of the place before preparing us for our formal induction. It took a day or two of traversing the world chunks and adjusting to the new guys and girls, but we were finally ready to officially join - or in my case, _re_ join - the Society. In the wake of the ceremony, most of the gang dispersed, leaving Brian, Scafe, and myself…”_  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#  **Tales of the Society - The Azure Age**

## Chapter 5.1 - While the Boys are Away, the Ponies will Play

“It’s great to have you back in the Society, Tsuneo.” Brian smiled gleefully as he shook his best friend’s hand. “Things just weren’t the same without you.”

“Agreed.” Tsuneo nodded. “I just hope this doesn’t turn into another grand menagerie of shit like the _last_ time.”

“Bah, no problem. It’s all just water under the bridge,” Brian chuckled. “Isn’t that right, Scafe…?”

The spider-bunny looked over to see that Scafe wasn’t paying attention; he was sitting on the edge of the dais, silently gazing out over the forest beyond. Brian and Tsuneo tilted their heads at the sight of their friend in such a quiet state.

“Uuuuh…Nexus to Scafe? Come in! Scafe? Scafe! **Scafe!!** ” Brian’s shout finally got the dragon’s attention, prompting him to whirl around with a slight jump.

“Huh?! Oh…ye-yeah, sure; welcome back and all that stuff…” Scafe deadpanned. “Heugh…sorry if I’m not in the best of spirits - this Azure Initiative shit is really weighing on me. Don’t mind me; I just need a little quiet time outside, y’know?”

Brian and Tsuneo glanced at each other before heading back indoors, leaving Scafe in peace. Once they were out of earshot, the dragon heaved an irritated sigh. He was willing to go along with his fellow Councilmen’s decision to let Tsuneo back into the group, but he certainly wasn’t happy about it - the bitter memories between him and the masked zombie were still fresh in his mind.

“…He shouldn’t have come back…” Scafe muttered, a bit of anger creeping into his voice. After a while, he got to his feet, spread his wings, and slowly flew back towards the HQ, where Brian and Tsuneo were talking as they wandered towards Max’s room.

“The Azure Initiative has been surprisingly quiet ever since we killed Marcell,” Brian noted. “You’d think we’d have gotten a call from Weiss by now, bitching at us about how they are going to ‘make us breathe through a tube’ or some shit like that for killing off one of their members.”

“If loading Marcell’s stage-mech with a crapton of explosives and a recorded message telling him how much he sucked is any indication, he hated the lizard as much as we did,” Tsuneo replied. “Well, whatever the reason, it looks like the Crimson Society has taken the initiative in this little feud - we should take this opportunity to strike back.”

“Hang on there, Tsuneo,” Brian said. “We might’ve brought down Marcell, but the Azure Initiative’s still got a bunch of nasty assholes to worry about - including your biggest “fan” and your two arch-enemies…”

“Saturn, Sylvie, and Purgatory. _Great._ ” Tsuneo scowled behind his mask. “Be that as it may, Sarge, I doubt it’ll be a problem, now that the Council’s back together… Speaking of which, where’s Eli and Max?”

“ _Eli’s with Tim and Becky; they’re training Dante, Tavo, Irene, B.Nana, and Zuula in the Nexus Underground. Now that we’ve got the Azures to worry about, we figured that we needed to crank up the teamwork angle, pronto,_ ” Zeus said. “ _And Max…is in the other room just up ahead._ ”

“Very well.” Tsuneo shrugged warily. “Least Max’s a bit more level-headed about this. He hasn’t resented me as much as Scafe has…since, you know…he was just falling in line with the popular opinion…”

“C’mon, Tsuneo.” Brian gave his friend an encouraging pat on the back. “That was in the past. Let’s not worry about that right now, ok?” He opened the door to Max’s quarters, but the bear was nowhere to be seen. The only sign of his presence was his signature skull mask, lying on the floor with a small dent in one side.

“…Well…here’s Max’s mask…but no Max…” Brian frowned. “Where did he go?”

“From the looks of it…nowhere pleasant.” Tsuneo surveyed the room, which seemed to be in worse shape than normal. Max’s bed was messy, his windows were shattered, and the walls and floor were marred with dried bloodstains and strange scorch marks. “Judging by the mess, there was a fight - probably some kind of ambush. Max obviously attempted to defend himself…but if his helmet is here and he isn’t…”

“Then…Max must’ve been kidnapped!!!” Brian gasped in utter panic. “Dammit! I swear to everything, if this was the Azure Initiative’s doing…we take away one of their members, so now they take ours…!”

“ _Brian, relax!_ ” Zeus shouted. “ _Maybe instead of raging about it like an impotent dumbass, you should inspect the premise and maybe find some more clues that can help us. I mean, the attacker must’ve left_ something _here._ ”

“Good idea, Zeus!” Brian picked up Max’s mask before turning to Tsuneo. “Can you investigate the room for now? I’m gonna notify the other members of the Society about this.”

“No problem, Brian.” Tsuneo casually waved his friend off before resuming his investigation. Taking another look around the room, he saw several faint dents in the walls and floor, similar to the mark on Max’s mask. Kneeling near a dent to examine it more closely, Tsuneo saw that it was slightly deeper on one edge.

 _Hm. These marks are too big for bullet holes, too shallow for explosives, and the wrong shape for human limbs or blunt weapons._ Tsuneo’s eyes narrowed as he traced the dent with a finger. _They almost look like…_

“Hm…?” The revenant’s eye caught a glimmer from a small plastic case amidst the remains of a shattered table. He noted the hasty scribble of “ _A Message for the Crimson Society_ ” and cringed as he recognized the saccharine logo of _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_.

“Ransom video… _classy._ And judging by the case, I have a good idea of who did this…” With a groan, Tsuneo put two fingers to the side of his mask. “Society, I need you to convene in the Briefing Room; we have a problem.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the Society gathered around the large television, Tsuneo slid the DVD into the player slot, which displayed an image of Max sitting in a dark room. He was naked from the waist up, save for a bag labelled “ _My Little Pony_ Merch” over his head. His chest and arms were bleeding from dozens of lashes, and he was flanked by six stout monsters vaguely resembling the eponymous ponies advertised on the DVD case. Max himself seemed unconscious, with only the slightest movement of his chest indicating that he was even alive.

“Oh shitnuggets! Max!!” Brian shouted, stunned and horrified by Max’s condition.

“Dear gods, that’s terrible…” Tsuneo said quietly. Whether for Max’s state, the sight on the screen, or his disdain toward the franchise shown, no one quite gathered.

“ _Oh, that’s just_ lovely,” Zeus sighed in resignation. “ _There’s only_ one _person I know who’d combine_ MLP _and_ Saw _like this, and that’s-_ ”

The words had barely left the Parasite’s mouth when the sound of shoes on concrete heralded a familiar face’s appearance on the screen: a little girl with bright red eyes and dark gray hair done up in pigtails. She backed up enough to make her upper body visible, showing off her dark red T-shirt, white gloves, and evil smile.

“Hehehehe~! Hi there, _Crappy_ Society! It’s your favorite #1 Pegasister and Goddess of the _My Little Pony_ fandom, Sylvie Prower~!”

“GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!” Tavo practically screeched to the screen, having had more than his fill of the diminutive woman in the past.

“Now I know what you’re probably thinking…and I say, yes~! This is indeed your friend, The French Mummy…or…British Mummy, whatever.” Sylvie made an offhand gesture as she skipped over to Max’s side, revealing the rest of her usual outfit; a short black skirt with matching socks and blood-red shoes with small stiletto heels. She removed the bag from Max’s head, revealing that his face was bare - even his bandages had been removed. His short black hair drooped over his face, slick with sweat, but the many bruises and bleeding wounds were still evident.

Sylvie tittered to herself as she looked over Max’s injuries. “You guys should _really_ learn to keep your doors locked. My sweet little babies had no trouble sneaking in your pretty little base…but that’s besides the point. The point is, big bad Maxipad’s _all mine_ now~!” Her sickeningly sweet tone suddenly warped into a snarl of venomous rage. “You see what happens when you fuck with us? YOU BIT THE HAND THAT FED YOU! AND NOW YOU’RE REAPING WHAT YOU SOWED!” As quickly as it vanished, her sweet tone returned. “…Kinda like the Plundervines from ‘Princess Twilight Sparkle’ - _Friendship is Magic_ ’s two-part Season 4 opener - but less grabby and more _bloody!_ ”

“The… _what now?_ ” Tsuneo muttered irritably, the reference utterly lost on him.

“ _What does it matter?_ Just focus...” Irene whispered, glancing back at the screen as long as her stomach could stand the sight of Max’s injuries.

“Now then, if you’re watching this, then chances are you’ve finally keyed to your friend’s absence - I’m sure you’re all just ACHING to get him back. Weeell…this is the complete opposite of a ransom note; if you ever want to see your friend again…you’ll just have to find him yourself!” Sylvie’s smile doubled in size as she adopted a singsong tone. “I’ll never tell~ At least, not until _I’m_ done with him! Heeheeheehee~!!”

Brian and Tsuneo growled angrily at Sylvie’s implications, but Scafe was positively fuming as the villainess went on. “You see, I have… _plans_ for your little assassin friend here. I’ve been trying _soooo_ hard to make the ideal pony, something stronger, faster, more durable and awesome…y’know, the works! So far, I’ve had… _mixed_ results…” She gestured at the various equines guarding Max, petting one as she sauntered by. “…so Weiss suggested that I kill two birds with one stone and use you guys as guinea pigs! I would have gone and taken any one of you idiots…but then it hit me~! An assassin with earth powers…think of the many applications that could have for ponification!”

“...I have to concede, that does bode ill if something would come of this choice of victim...” Tim shook his head, dismissing the thought as the recording continued.

“I guarantee that Max will make an EXCELLENT pony! A lot better than any of my previous experiments…in theory. Hehehehe, I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it! I’m getting ahead of myself, but I feel like I can create something _fantastic_ out of Maxy here~” Sylvie giggled again, reaching off-camera to grab a jar of rainbow-colored sludge. “Well then, I’d better get to work. I’ll be seeing you _veeery_ soon…or not, depending on how long it takes for you losers to find me! Good luuuck - you’ll need it~! HAHAHAHAHAHA!…Okay, bye now~ _Ponies for Life~!_ ”

With a wink, Sylvie snapped her fingers, causing the transmission to cut out. Brian slammed a fist on the table in rage as he digested this new development.

“FUCK! I knew I should’ve prioritized security upgrades for the HQ!” The spider-bunny’s curse made both Tsuneo and Eli shake their heads.

“I _tried_ to warn ya, dog…” the chinchilla sighed. “As it is, Max’s been spirited off to god-knows-where by the tiny ponyfucker herself. We gotta find her _yesterday,_ dudes.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Tsuneo folded his arms over his chest with grim satisfaction. “This gives me an excuse to send some horses to the glue factory.”

Scafe stared at Tsuneo, his pupils slowly shrinking with irritation. “…Is _that_ all you’re thinking about right now?!” he asked incredulously. “You’re focused on killing a bunch of ponies while your FRIEND is in the hands of a lunatic putting him through who knows WHAT kind of torture right now!?”

“Get off my back, Scafe!” Tsuneo barked. “I care about Max just as much as you do, alright?!”

Scafe only snorted derisively, blowing a cloud of acrid smoke in Tsuneo’s masked face. Sensing a fight brewing, Brian jumped from his chair and got between the bickering duo. “Hey! Now is _not_ the time for this, alright?! We have much more important matters to attend to. Now come on, we gotta separate into teams for this...”

Scafe and Tsuneo glared at each other for several long seconds before the former rose from his chair, pointedly averting his gaze from the undead warrior as he walked over to Brian.

“Alright…I have an idea. Sylvie may _think_ we have no means of finding Max, but she has _no_ idea that his girlfriend has a way to keep tabs on him - she snuck a tracking device behind Max’s ear.” As he spoke, Scafe took out a small radar from his left pocket. “She even gave me a copy of the radar!”

“ _…And…you carry that around with you…WHY?_ ” Zeus said, sounding slightly disturbed.

“To make sure Max pays his debts,” Scafe explained. “He tried to weasel out of paying me when he lost the bet about Brian’s Grape Soda-powered air conditioner. The targeting ain’t very precise, though; once we’re at the mountain, it won’t be that much help.”

Brian shook the thought from his head as he took the radar. “I’ll take whatever help we can get.” He extended the radar's cable to the computer and brought a map of the surrounding area on screen. “According to this…Max is located north of here, over by the Serenity Boulevard Freeway.”

“Serenity Boulevard Freeway?” Juliet asked. “Isn’t that the abandoned road through the mountains near here? No cars have driven through that area for years.”

“ _Which would make sense in Sylvie’s case,_ ” Zeus pondered. “ _No one would ever think to travel through there._ ”

“Until now,” Scafe exclaimed, his confidence building. “We know where to find Max. Now all we need is a means to get there.”

“Airship’s out,” Tsuneo said. “Even if Sylvie doesn’t see us coming from a mile away, we’ll have a hell of a time landing in those mountains.”

“Guess we’ll have to drive it!” Brian cried enthusiastically. “Eli and Dante both brought their rides in just recently too, so we’ll split three ways. Dante, you take Juliet, Becky, and Emily; Eli, take Zuula, Tim, and Tavo; Scafe and Tsuneo are with me.” His division of the group caused the indicated Councilmen to shift their glares from each other to him; their silent _what the HELL, Brian!?_ was evident as B.Nana piped up.

“I’ll stay here and prepare for the cavalry! I learned my lesson from Marcell’s antics; I’m gonna overstock on the fruity firepower!” She rubbed her hands together gleefully as she looked to Irene. “Ya mind hanging back and giving me a lift later on?”

“No problem,” said the pyromancer. “We could use the ordnance as soon as it’s ready…and if I recall, ponies _love_ fireworks~” Her wicked grin told the group just what kind of “fireworks” she had in mind.

“Ready then?” Eli nodded to the group as everyone grouped around their assigned drivers. “Alright…break.” With that, everyone ran off at once, some looking more than a little relieved to be clear of the three Councilmen lingering in the Briefing Room. Their fears were vindicated by the way Scafe slammed the doors shut with his chains as soon as they were clear.

“Brian, would you mind explaining _what the fuckshit you’re thinking!?_ ” he roared. “I’m not going to deal with this insufferable asshole for any longer than I have to…and a few hours in a car is _**much** longer than I have to!_”

“That’s the sanest thing you’ve said in months,” Tsuneo sniped back. “The last thing I want is to deal with your vindictive nature and inability to let the past fucking _go_ for gods knows how long you want to spend bringing up every little offense I’ve ever commited!”

Scafe stomped right up to Tsuneo, grabbing him by the coat and lifting him up. “I wouldn’t _have_ to do that if you ever _learned a fucking thing_ in all the time you’ve spent wandering this piecemeal planet!! It’s obvious with the way you’re still acting even now that you’re **the same as ever!** ”

“Look who’s talking! Literally _everyone else_ is done with that time in our lives, so why are you still-” As Tsuneo manifested his knife in retaliation, both he and Scafe registered a pair of familiar arachnoid limbs sliding into the gap between their stomachs.

“ **AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!!! THAT’S _IT!!!_** ” With the scream of a man whose patience had finally reached its breaking point, Brian thrust his spider legs out like a pair of scissor blades, throwing the other two men apart. While Scafe only stumbled back a few steps, Tsuneo was floored, rolling back for distance before sitting up and regarding the thoroughly irate spider-bunny.

“ENOUGH! IS! _ENOUGH!_ ” he bellowed. “This little feud between you two has gone on for _far too fucking long!_ In case you’ve forgotten, Max is out there, undergoing God-knows-what kind of torture, and yet you’re more concerned with blaming each other for a situation that happened _months_ ago!”

“Brian, I _get_ that, but-” Scafe’s building tirade was instantly deflated by Brian’s hand shooting up towards his face, the mouth on its palm baring its fangs.

“ ** _SPARE US YOUR BULLSHIT!!_ ”** Zeus roared. “ _The only thing we care about is that this ends…RIGHT NOW!_ ”

“You two make _Sylvie_ sound mature, for fuck’s sake!” With Zeus focused on Scafe, Brian rounded on Tsuneo to admonish him equally. “I know this shit’s in the past for most of us, but don’t you play innocent, Tsuneo. You’re not exactly burying the hatchet by antagonizing Scafe here!”

For once, Tsuneo’s snark failed him utterly as Brian took a deep breath and turned to an equally bewildered Scafe, addressing him in a calm, but desperately earnest tone.

“Scafe…look, I _get it_ ; what happened back then was really terrible. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t break my heart…but the fact of the matter is that Tsuneo _regrets it._ He came to us seeking forgiveness, and we gave it to him…because we are _friends._ What you’re doing is not fair for anyone, especially for Tsuneo.”

As Tsuneo got to his feet, Brian turned back to him. “And I understand you too, Tsuneo. We’ve been dealing with this feud ever since you returned; you just want to put this all in the dirt and continue like we used to…but you’re pushing just as hard as Scafe is. I know how difficult it is to just let it go and leave someone get over it on their own-”

“ _This isn’t fucking marriage counselling, Brian._ ” Zeus interrupted with obvious impatience. “ _You two are fucking adults, so_ dial it back _and cut this feuding bullshit back out! If you_ don’t, _so help me…” His snarl came from Brian’s own mouth as his host briefly ceded control of their body to him. “ **We’ll kick BOTH of your asses all the way to Sylvie’s doorstep _ourselves!_** ”_

The Parasite’s ultimatum hung in the air, carrying only the barest note of hyperbole as Tsuneo and Scafe finally looked back at each other. After a long beat, Tsuneo’s dagger vaporized into red mist, and Scafe’s chains dispelled themselves.

“…He’s got a point, Scafe.” Tsuneo’s voice was surprisingly quiet as he finished processing what happened. “Even if your grudge was bullshit, I’m no better for trying to force forgiveness out of you.”

“Can’t say you didn’t deserve a ‘sorry’ from me, though.” Scafe sighed as reality set in. “You’ve been doing so much to try and make it up to us, even saving our collective hides from Marcell, twice. I ignored that just to nurse my grudges for what you did back then, but it’s clear to see you’re not that guy anymore…even if you are still a trolling undead jackass.”

“The same one you rescued from the underground so many years ago.” Tsuneo chuckled wistfully at the memory. “…So…You ready to put this behind us now?” He extended a hand to the dragon, who met him halfway for an earnest handshake. “Great. Last thing we want is Max taking up Brian’s offer and kicking our ass for fighting each other while we try to save him.”

The three men shared a wry laugh at the mental image before Brian led the way out of the Briefing Room. “Then we’re all in agreement; to the Garage!” His shout was echoed by his fellow Councilmen as the three of them tore for the garage all at once. The spark of camaraderie had reignited…and it wasn’t going out any time soon.


	2. Into the Beasts' Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Max missing and soon to be turned into one of Sylvie's mutant ponies, the in-fighting has to stop.

#  **Tales of the Society - The Azure Age**

## Chapter 5.2 - Into the Beasts’ Nest

_**Last time on “Tales of the Society: The Azure Age”…** _

_Following their victory over Marcell, the Crimson Society has drawn first blood from the Azure Initiative while bolstering their ranks. However, the villains’ response was swift; Brian and Tsuneo soon discovered that Max had been abducted from his room! A suspicious disc provided a lead to the culprit: Sylvie Prower, the Initiative’s psychotic_ My Little Pony _fangirl. Learning of her plans to turn Max into one of her monstrous minions, the Society mounted a rescue operation, using Scafe’s “Max Tracker” to get an idea of where the assassin was being held. With the airship deemed infeasible, the group had to drive their way to Sylvie’s lair; thus, they were squadded out and sent off to prepare…_

_…but not before Brian decided to finally put an end to the bad blood between Tsuneo and Scafe. Their latest scuffle threatened to turn violent…only to be stopped by an uncharacteristically angry hybrid Hostile cutting in and screaming sense into the pair. After Brian and Zeus managed to talk reason into them both, the revenant and the dragon finally overcame their mutual disdain and united once more. Now, with their resolve solidified, the search parties have set out to the mountains where their friend is being held…_

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For the first time in a long while, the Serenity Boulevard Highway saw some traffic; a black-and-white V6 Accord, a green Mustang, and a battered purple Mercedes-Benz. They split up once they entered the mountains proper; under the light of the moon, they looked like tiny sparks at a distance. These sparks were observed by a few hunched figures on the cliffs near the road; with low growls, they spread their ragged, feathery wings and flew to a much larger gathering further into the mountain range.

“Hehehehe~ So the Crappy Society took the bait, ey? Hehehe… _perfect~!_ ” Sylvie gleefully rubbed her hands together as her mutant pegasi gave their report. “While the gang is away, the ponies will play~” She turned to stroke the chin of a much larger monster with both a horn and wings. “Don’t worry, **Big Mama.** You and the herd will get to feed soon enough…just follow them for now and pick your ambushes~”

Big Mama gave a soft grunt of affirmation, bringing a wicked grin to Sylvie’s face as she climbed onto the back of a particularly large mutant pegasus. With a cry of “Make your queen proud~!” she soared off on her own as her herd dispersed over the mountains to follow their three quarries…one of which was having more trouble than the others.

“Heugh… Brian, as your friend, trust me when I say…you _desperately_ need to trade up.” Scafe grunted from his spot in the back seat, nearly bent over double to fit his large frame within the confined space. “Maybe spring for a convertible or somethin’ so I don’t gotta be sardine-packed?”

“I personally wonder why he can’t just _draw_ in some extra features - y’know, with that _magic goddamn pencil_ in his ear?” Tsuneo shifted uncomfortably from the passenger seat, disturbing a fine coat of fluff leaking from its worn-out covering. “Or at the _very_ least, draw some new fuckin’ seats; I’ve sat in comfier _tanks_ than this screaming metal deathtrap.”

“Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery!” Brian snapped. “I’ll have you know that this baby has _never_ failed me in the months I’ve had her! Have some faith - she’s got plenty of gas left in the tank…figuratively.” He gave the dashboard an encouraging pat, causing the engine to sputter ominously.

“ _Definitely_ not literally…” Scafe pointed over Brian’s shoulder to the fuel gauge, seeing the needle teetering below a quarter. “This probably counts as _criminal abuse,_ dude.”

“I said _no comments!_ ” Brian’s indignant anger and Tsuneo’s laughter at his expense were cut short as a mutant pegasus suddenly dropped onto the hood with a crash. 

“SHIT!” Scafe was the first to react, thrusting a chain through the cracked windshield to throw the assailant off the car with a heavy metal sucker punch. Tsuneo had to duck as the chain whipped back his way, while Brian had to cover his face with his spider limbs to protect against the shards of the windshield. 

“MOTHERFUCKER!” he screamed. “I _JUST_ BUFFED THAT HOOD!” He threw back his head in frustration…only to see several more winged steeds swarming down the cliffs.

“I think that’s the least of our worries,” Tsuneo pointed out. “Your car can’t take another hit like that one, especially to the engine block. Evasive driving, now!”

“Right!” Brian floored the gas pedal as he began spinning the wheel like a madman, swerving hard over corners and practically zigzagging his way across the freeway, barely dodging several more dive bomb attempts while whipping the tail end against whatever was chasing him. “YOU WON’T HAVE MY GOOD DRIVER’S DISCOUNT, YOU EQUINE FREAKS!!!”

“WHAT _GOOD DRIVER’S DISCOUNT!?_ ” Zeus yelled incredulously as Scafe saw a hairpin turn coming up fast. He threw his chain through a window to latch onto the cliff beside the road, easing the turn for Brian as they swerved around and missed the drop by inches.

“Thanks, Scafe…but could you FUCKING _STOP_ BREAKING MY WINDOWS!?” Brian shouted indignantly as Scafe resisted an urge to slap him.

“Heugh…priorities, dude! LEARN THEM!” he snarled back.“I don’t know where Sylvie got all these beasts, but they’re fucking _everywhere!_ ”

“Speaking of beasts…hang on, Brian!” Tsuneo nodded to himself as he summoned his **Titan Cleaver,** the massive ring-guarded blade, and jammed it into the ground ahead of the front wheel, hiking them up just as they came upon a large group of Earth Ponies attempting to blockade the road.

“Now, FLOOR IT!!!” Tsuneo shouted back to Brian as the front wheels came down on several mutants at the front of the herd, turning them into a makeshift ramp. When Brian accelerated once more, the car rocketed over the rest of the equines at once, coming to a tooth-rattling landing on the other side as Tsuneo’s head met the dashboard with a loud clang.

“DUDE! NOT COOL!” Brian whined. “WHAT’D TRISHA DO TO YOU!?”

“Blame Newton’s Third Law, you dumb……wait.” Tsuneo shook off the daze as he registered the unfamiliar name. “Brian… _please_ do not tell me you **named your fucking car.** ”

The spider-bunny blinked. “Of course I did! Doesn’t _everybody?_ ”

“Why don’t you ask Dante and Eli next time we see ‘em; we’ll record their reactions for posterity~” Scafe laughed in disbelief as he made a mental note of that. “Seriously dude, only auto-obsessed grease monkeys name their cars, and you’re definitely not capable of that-”

“YOU TAKE THAT **BACK!!** ” Brian thundered, before turning to the steering wheel and patting it affectionately. “Sshhhhh…it’s ok, Trisha…Scafe didn’t mean that…I still love you…”

“ _Brian! For fuck’s sake, **focus!!**_ ” Zeus’s warning came a hair too late to stop Brian from slamming into a particularly large pony-monster, its grotesquely muscled torso giving it an almost gorilla-like stance. The impact rocketed Tsuneo out of the front seat to spear tackle the creature out further, finding himself in a fairly spacious alcove between the cliffs, littered with piles of stone, coal and ore. Going by the faded minecart tracks all over the ground, this was a landing for a mine, where everything came out.

“ **FUCKING DICKITY FUCKITY FUCKHOLES WITH A SIDE ORDER OF ASSCLOWNS, NO!!!** ” Brian slammed the dashboard, trying desperately to rev the engine again, but four failed tries forced him to admit defeat. “MY BABY! SHE’S FLATLINING!!!”

“Well, looks like you have an excuse to trade up now.” Scafe chuckled amid the whiplash. “But you can fix it later; we gotta let her go for now. We’re getting nowhere sitting on this thing, and Tsuneo needs a hand.”

“Yeah, probablyyyyYYY!!!” Brian yelped as Tsuneo was thrown back at the car at blistering speed; he narrowly caught the revenant before he went right off the cliff. “OKAY, THAT’S _IT!!!_ ” His eyes twitched as he emerged from the vehicle, his temper at its limit. “CALL ME MORTASHEEN, ‘CAUSE HORSES ARE GONNA **DIE IN _DROVES!!!_** ” With a berserker scream, he threw Tsuneo to the ground and launched himself at the Mega-Pony that had wrecked his car, leaving a nonplussed Scafe to climb out of the back seat.

“Aaaaarrhh…next time we gotta drive, I’mma just fly alongside the car!” The draconic Councilman spread his wings and stretched his arms over his head with audible popping noises before helping Tsuneo up. “Well…at least our luck couldn’t get any worse from here, right?”

“…Scafe, I’m going to dropkick you in the balls for that…” Tsuneo groaned in annoyance, preemptively preparing his blade as the sound of hooves and wings came from the road behind them. “We need to get out of the open; if nothing else, it’ll bottleneck the monsters for us to cut down.”

“Good plan…but we’re gonna need to find a cave or something…” Scafe’s thoughts were interrupted when another mutant pegasus dove down from above. “Hang on…” Passing a chain for Tsuneo to grab onto, he swiftly took flight, bisecting the incoming monster with his scimitar as he ascended the cliff with the revenant holding on for dear life.

As they expected, there was a large cave some distance above the road, surrounded by several more pegasi who were decidedly _not_ expecting to be ambushed in turn. Scafe quickly set them ablaze with his fiery breath; the light also allowed Tsuneo to see more tracks within the cave.

“Well…prayers answered.” Tsuneo muttered under his breath as he called Brian on his communicator. “BRIAN! THERE’S A MINE ON THE CLIFF ABOVE YOU; WE’RE GOING IN! **MOVE IT!** ”

The call made Brian start amid the remains of the Mega-Pony, now little more than meaty jelly after a prolonged beatdown from his multiple limbs. “ _Ah…a-acknowledged, Tsuneo; I’ll be there in just a sec_ ”. After catching his breath, he spat a line of silk to the nearby cliffs, using it in tandem with his natural agility to scale the rock wall. Zeus manifested eyes on Brian’s back to ensure they weren’t followed, but this only gave him a front-row seat to a much more grotesque sight as the pursuing horde finally caught up to the wrecked car. After a moment of confused glances, one trotted over to the pulverized corpse nearby; seconds later, the whole herd followed suit.

What happened next left Zeus feeling rather ill. “ _Brian…I’ve underestimated Sylvie,_ ” he said. “ _I thought her mutant minions couldn’t get any worse…but I was wrong._ ”

“Hang on a sec, Zeus…” Brian clambered up to the ledge that Scafe and Tsuneo had found, deftly vaulting onto solid ground before he took his Parasite’s obvious bait. “Alright, I’ll bite. What’re they doing now?”

Further into the cave, Tsuneo and Scafe heard a violent retch; a few moments later, Brian staggered up to them. “Fun fact, guys; those things are fucking _cannibals._ Zeus said they swarmed that goliath’s remains like a pack of hyenas…” He paused to let the other two cringe in disgust. “Let’s scram while they’re busy stuffing their freaky faces.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With darkness ahead of them and the horde distracted by the meat of their fallen comrade, Brian, Tsuneo, and Scafe began their journey through the dark, desolate mine. To their dismay, more of Sylvie’s mutant ponies roamed the place; luckily, they were limited to small, roaming groups that could be easily dispatched.

After several minutes of navigation and skirmishes, the trio entered a dilapidated transport area with toppled minecarts and debris-littered tracks. Finding nothing of interest, they prepared to leave when Brian’s ears perked.

“Guys, stop for a second!” he hissed. “Did you hear that?”

It was silent for a moment, but the three Councilmen soon heard a soft, eerie moan in the depths of the tunnels, followed by a faint orange light glowing in the shadows. They drew their weapons as the thing approached them, but their tension was replaced with horror when they got a better look at it: a twisted cross between an anthropomorphic dog and one of Sylvie’s equine minions. His fingers and toes had been partially fused into crude hooves, the stray digits sticking out at odd angles. His lanky body was dotted with tubes, wires, and wounds of varying size; notably, his chest was completely torn open, showing mutilated organs pulsing amid curious devices filled with unknown fluids. The orange light came from his eyes; one was blank and veiny like the other mutants, but the other bore a large, quivering pupil that locked onto Brian specifically.

“N…n…no way…” The hybrid’s eyes went wider than dinner plates as he recognized the monster’s brown fur and spiky black hair. “… _DAVE?!_ ”

“By god…” murmured Tsuneo, barely able to look at the tortured abomination. “And I thought the other freaks was monstrous…but if Sylvie’s making them out of _people_ …no. No. **No!** I _won’t_ let these atrocities continue!” His fists were clenched hard enough to almost pierce his own gloves - even his Cipher couldn’t conceal the pain in his voice as the thing that used to be Dave staggered towards him and his friends.

“…HhHhhhEeeeEeeelllPpppp……MMmmMmmmeeeEeeee…” The Councilmen recoiled as the mutated dog’s agonized moans gained a hint of coherence. “I…ccaa…n’’tt…feel myy _YYAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!_ ” His words faded into a roar as he reared up and clutched at his temples with the remains of his hands.

“Oh fuck!! O_O He’s still fighting it!” Brian swallowed his fear and took a tentative step forward. “DAVE!! It’s me, Brian Buena!! We hung out at the _Bonus Room_ internet cafe, remember? That _Homestuck_ fan called you a shitcunt for mocking their lifestyle and you started a huge brawl that got everyone banned for life!”

“Br..rrrRiiAaann….” Dave’s every word sounded like it took every ounce of his will to utter. “Sssss **Shheee** ddDIiiIdd _tthHhiiSss_ tOoo meeeEeee…ssHHeee ttTTuuRrnnEed mmee innttooOO a PoooaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA **AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!** ” He lurched forward with a shriek, his half-fanged mouth coming within inches of Brian’s throat before he forced himself back.

“Dave! Dave, easy!!” the Sergeant said. “I-it’s okay, man! We’re gonna get you out of this - just fight Sylvie’s control! Don’t let her manipulate you - I-I-I know you can do it!” His desperate pleas were sharply contrasted by the way his friends shook their heads in resignation.

“…Brian. Look at him,” Tsuneo muttered. “He’s in utter agony…we should end his suffering here and now.” He deftly stepped back to avoid a reflexive swing from Brian’s fist as the spider-bunny rounded on him.

“Tsuneo! PLEASE! I CAN STILL SAVE HIM!!” Brian was nearly hysterical at this point, tears streaking his face as he tried to approach Dave once more - Scafe quickly stymied that by seizing his arm and pulling him backwards.

“ _HOW?!_ DO YOU NOT _SEE_ HOW FUCKED UP HE IS!?” Brian flinched as the dragon’s roar was amplified even further by the cavern; before him, Dave retreated a few paces, his eyes wide with animalistic fear. “Even if we _could_ break Sylvie’s control over him, do you really think he _wants_ to keep going as a half-ponified mess!? His ORGANS are hanging out of his CHEST, for crying out loud!!”

“Ma-Ma-Maybe we can take him to the doctor!” Brian babbled. “Y-Yeah! Maybe they can fix ‘im up! T-They can do plastic surgery! Haven’t you heard of that phrase?! ‘ _We can rebuild him! We have the technology!_ ’” He gave a nervous, shaky laugh before screaming in frustration. “DAMMIT, I CAN’T JUST _LEAVE_ HIM! ZEUS, HELP ME OUT HERE!!”

“ _I’m sorry, Brian, but they’re right…_ ” Zeus spoke with glum reluctance, seeing the futility of his vessel’s hopes. “ _He’s barely alive at this point; nothing could save his body_ or _mind… As his friend, Brian, the best you can do for him is--_ ”

“ **NO!** ” Purple ooze leaked from Brian’s mouth as he seized his own ears, pulling them until they nearly tore right off his head. “ _YOU_ ALL NEED TO _SHUT UP_ AND _**LISTEN!!**_ I _NEVER_ GIVE UP ON MY FRIENDS! I DIDN’T GIVE UP ON _SCAFE_ OR _TSUNEO_ WHEN THEY NEEDED MY HELP, AND I **WON’T** GIVE UP ON DAVE!! **I _CAN_ SAVE HIM, GODDAMNIT!!!** ALL I AM ASKING IS THAT YOU _**HAVE FAITH IN M-**_ ”

“BRIAN! FOR _FUCK’S_ SAKE! **GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!** ”

The spider-bunny didn’t see the slap coming until it made solid contact with his face and sent him sprawling on the ground. Dave’s pupil shrunk as he jerked towards the fallen Councilman, but Scafe bound the mutant in chains while Tsuneo crouched over Brian and continued admonishing him in a quieter tone, his Vocal Cipher crackling with feedback from his previous shout.

“Listen to me…there’s _nothing_ that we can do for him. Death is the only cure for his suffering now.” The undead warrior shook his head - although he was no happier about the situation than Brian, he was determined to make him see the cruel truth. “Dave’s been through something that no one should have _ever_ experienced, and he’s still suffering now… Is _this_ how you want Dave to live!? In constant contorted pain!?”

Brian silently stared into space, still clinging to his fading shreds of hope. “Bu…But…But Tsuneo…I can’t lose him like this! I barely ever got to do anything with him, since he’s been gone for so long…he was one of my good friends…I was even thinking about letting him join the Society…” His tears flowed anew as he thought of the possibilities that would never come to pass. “I…I _can’t_ lose him, bro!! I can’t let my last memory of Dave be seeing him like _that!_ ”

“KKkkIIiilll mMmmMmeeeEEEeee!!!! _AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!_ ” Dave’s remaining pupil alternately contracted and dilated as he struggled against Scafe’s chains. His distorted cries made Brian look away, but Tsuneo seized him by the head and forced him to behold what Dave had been reduced to.

“Brian, use those giant ears and _listen_ to your friend! He’s suffering, and the only future he has is _more_ suffering - and here you are, trying to _prolong_ it!” The revenant spoke with naked disgust at Brian’s hesitation. “He WANTS it to end! He can’t handle this anymore, and with everything he’s endured…he deserves freedom. Just like any one of us.”

“I-I-I…I… ” Brian stammered weakly, barely able to see Tsuneo through his own tears.

 _Brian…try to put it in perspective._ Zeus’s voice was unusually soft as he spoke directly to his host’s mind. _Think of it as a Hostile Parasite infection, or being transformed into a Synthetic - or, gods forbid, being corrupted by that scumball Nevic. No matter what we try to do, Dave’s already dead - it’s just a matter of whether his body or his mind goes first. Would you rather end his pain now, or let him become a monster that someone else will have to kill anyway…before or_ after _he hurts other people in the process?_

“……Dave….” Brian’s voice shook with his entire body until a firm but comforting hand on his shoulder stilled his tremors.

“Brian, _please_ …learn from me…” After a moment to collect himself, Tsuneo removed his hand from Brian’s shoulder and helped his friend to his feet. “Dave’s body is nothing but a cage for his soul; it’s up to us to set him free. Hesitating now would just turn him into a killer; I _know_ that’s not how you want to remember him.” Seeing Brian’s uncertainty, he sighed and said, “We’re going to have to do this one way or another…but I understand if you don’t want to be a part of it. If you won’t put Dave out of his misery, just look away and cover your ears - I’ll do this as cleanly as I can.” 

The **Reaper Blade** manifested in the Revenant’s hand, an ivory cutlass with a golden edge and a matching knuckle guard. As Tsuneo pointed its tip at the man-turning-mutant, Brian stared into Dave’s orange-glowing eyes for a long moment - the remaining pupil had shrunk to a pinprick, indicating that his will was almost spent. Finally, he slowly stepped forward and grasped the hilt of Tsuneo’s sword - understanding Brian’s intent, the undead warrior released the weapon to his fellow Councilman as he walked over to the chained amalgamate.

“…Dave…I’m sorry it has to end this way…but for both our sakes…it’s time to go.” Brian winced as he pressed the Reaper Blade against his mutated friend’s throat, causing it to freeze as it registered that pressure. “Please…when you get up there, don’t get too crazy…I’ll miss you, and I’ll be there before long…”

With those final words, Brian swung Tsuneo’s sword through Dave’s neck, decapitating the abomination with one clean cut. He stared at the severed head as it fell to the ground, planting the sword to stop it from rolling back into the darkness. After a long, tense moment, he released the blade, wiping away whatever tears he could manage as he slowly composed himself.

With the mutant’s struggles at an end, Scafe finally recalled his chains with a sigh, letting the headless body collapse with a thump. “Brian…as much as I want to let you mourn… _This_ is what’s going to happen to Max if we don’t hurry. Are you ready to get back into it?”

Brian only nodded as he wiped the last of his tears away with his sleeve, but he found his words as he turned to the other witness. “…Tsuneo… Let me be _absolutely_ clear. …For Dave…and everyone else who’s been transformed by that bitch Sylvie…I’m going to personally mutilate _every single one_ of these fucking ponies until they are nothing more than a pile of fucking inside-out **corpses** …and then I’ll do even _worse_ to that underdeveloped whore! ”

In normal circumstances, Tsuneo would’ve expressed wry pride in Brian’s anti-pony sentiment; as it was, he only nodded understandingly to his friend as he dispelled the Reaper Blade. “Good to know we’re on the same page here,” he said. “Remember, these disgusting incomplete abominations are _all_ suffering like this… If this is how the ponies are made here, we’re doing them a favor, putting them down like this.”

With a firm nod, the trio continued deeper into the mines, eventually happening across a concrete door wedged firmly into a dead end. Scafe wandered up to the door first, glancing back to his allies. “Hmm…looks like we have a bunker door here. The kind of stuff you’d see on something _way_ more advanced than a humdrum mine.”

“Advanced…like some kind of special science bunker?” Brian queried. “It’d make sense that Sylvie has a source for these atrocities, but I’m more concerned about _why_ she has this. There’s no way she made all of those monsters in one week from a facility like this, so it’s definitely not Neo Empire.”

“Beats me…but I know one thing; if Max is anywhere, it’s somewhere past this door,” Tsuneo answered. “Regardless of how she got it, this is _definitely_ Sylvie’s turf, so there’s no way Max is anywhere else on the ranges.”

“Alright… You two meatheads get this door open while I get the rest of the gang on our location.” Brian wandered back toward the cave entrance to make the call as the other two Councilmen exchanged glances at the “meathead” epithet. Glancing at each other’s arms, they exchanged shrugs and got to work on the door, with Tsuneo recreating his Reaper Blade to use as a crowbar.

Meanwhile, Brian continued walking until he reached the entrance of the cave. Seeing that his phone had a steady signal and that the mutant ponies had dispersed, he dialed up Eli. “Hello? Yeah…We’re fine, and we made it to the location…Yeah…We’re alright. We got attacked, just like you.” While he rattled off his banter calmly enough, he had a watchful eye open for any incoming enemies. “Well, call Dante and tell him to come join us too; my car’s totaled right now, so you’ll know it when you find us. It’s right in this ca- **DICK SHIT PRICK HIT ME WITH A CLIT BRICK _NICKLE-TICK!!!_** ”

The spider-bunny nearly jumped out of his skin as his feet were knocked out from under him. Rubbing his head with his free hand, he looked up to see his assailant; a dull pink mutant pony with a poofy pink mane and fleshy tendrils erupting from its hooves. It crouched on the ground like an insect, watching Brian with its tiny pink irises and an unnaturally wide grin; then, with a giggle, it vanished before his eyes!

“Shit! Where’d that thing go…?” Brian paused when he heard continued laughter where the monster had vanished, rapidly travelling up the cave’s walls. He followed the giggling with his ears, thankful for their acuity as he muttered, “Great, this one can turn invisible…”

“ _Oh, that’s nice,_ ” Zeus grumbled sarcastically as his host hastily drew up a shotgun. “ _Pinkie Pie was annoying enough even_ before _she was turned into a psychotic cloaking crawler-mutant…and knowing Sylvie, there’s plenty more where this one came from._ ”

“As Scafe would say… _Eeyup._ ” Brian didn’t let the grim quip take his attention from the continued laughter around him; it seemed that the pony-monster was setting up a pounce from above. When the giggling paused, he turned the shotgun up and met the invisible assailant mid-leap. The equine crawler was obliterated by the buckshot, raining blood and gore on the hybrid.

“Ewwww…” Brian sighed in exasperation, picking up the phone he’d dropped to check if Eli was still on the line. The chinchilla had apparently hung up about 10 seconds after Brian’s latest swear conga; judging by the distant squealing of wheels, he was on his way. Satisfied that help was en route, Brian withdrew into the cave, drawing up a sponge to wipe off as much of the blood as he could on the way back to Scafe and Tsuneo. His fellow Councilmen stood before a torn-open door, regarding the Sergeant with quizzical worry as they acknowledged his presence with a wave.

“Tsuneo and I got the door open just two minutes ago - we’ve been waiting on you.” Scafe wrinkled his nose as he noticed the blood clinging to Brian’s vest. “I’m guessing you ran into some trouble?”

“Nothing serious; just another awful flavor of Sylvie’s horrible herd,” Brian explained. “Fair warning; she’s got giggling Pinkie Pie knockoffs that can cloak themselves and crawl on walls.”

“ _Luckily, they can’t keep their big mouths shut while they do it, so you can hear ‘em coming if you listen well,_ ” Zeus added.

“Heugh…” Scafe rolled his eyes at yet another threat to their well-being. “Well, we’ll just have to keep our ears open for creepy laughter _not_ from Sylvie. C’mon, we’ve got a bear to save.”

Brian nodded as he passed through the door, finding himself inside what appeared to be an old research facility. Sylvie’s ownership was clear with the _My Little Pony_ merchandise scattered around the rooms and halls; more pertinently, there was no shortage of security cameras lining the ceiling. As such, the Councilmen moved with wary haste, anticipating an attack at any moment…but the halls remained completely empty aside from themselves.

“Damn…this is almost _creepier_ than being mobbed by mutants,” Scafe muttered. “Shouldn’t Sylvie be ranting at us right about now?”

“Probably wants to lure us into complacency,” Tsuneo replied. “We can use that to our advantage…stay sharp, and we’ll be able to search for Max in peace until we force her hand.”

Brian and Scafe nodded as they and Tsuneo continued their trek through the facility - eventually, they found themselves in a small corridor filled with an eerie aqua-green light. They had almost reached the door when a nearby intercom screeched to life.

“As Pinkie Pie would say… _Surprise~!_ ”

To the group’s consternation, the door in front of them was blocked by a larger, heavier door marked “SECURITY”. At the other end of the hallway, another security door blocked the other exit.

“The fuck?!” yelped Scafe.

“ _Well, well, well~ Nice of you to drop by~_ ” Sylvie’s voice was cheerful, but the malice behind it was painfully obvious. “ _I’m_ sooo _happy you came to visit me, but I’m afraid that I’m too busy to give you a proper tour~_ ”

“Aww, come on Sylvie,” Brian answered the wicked fangirl’s faux-friendly tone in kind. “We just wanted to hang out with you for a while. Y’know, see how you’ve been, have some pizza, maybe play some games like _Twister_ or _Mario Party~_ ”

“And by the way, I can _skin you alive_ on the latter,” Tsuneo added. “Which is ironic, because I’ve been wanting to skin you alive even _before_ the idea came to mind - and not in a competitive sort of way, if you catch my drift.”

“ _As fun as that sounds - for the record, I could_ smoke you all _in_ Mario Party _\- you’ve overstayed your welcome._ ” Sylvie’s happy-go-lucky tone suddenly went dark. “ _You’ve seen way too much of my place, and I just know you’re gonna blab all my secrets to anyone willing to listen! I can’t let_ that _particular cat out of the bag yet - no, it needs to be smothered until it dies from lack of oxygen. And speaking of which…you’re probably wondering what room this is~ He he he he he~_ ” Suddenly, posters at the top of the room flipped up, revealing large vents that began filling the room with foul-smelling green smog.

“ _Welcome to_ Sylvie’s Smoggy Suffocator!” the psychotic fangirl laughed. “ _In less than 5 minutes, this entire corridor will be full of my special brand of toxic gas. Normally, I use it to knock out potential guinea pigs, but with the amount I’m pumping in there, you’re gonna be on a one-way train to **Meltsville!** Hehehe…that’s no pony reference; you’re all about to-_”

“Uuuuhh, Sylvie?” Tsuneo interrupted. “I hate to burst your bubble…well, not really…but you _do_ realize that Brian and I are undead, right? We literally _can’t_ die from suffocation, because **we don’t need to breathe!** …Plus, filtered mask and healing factor means that corrosive toxins won’t harm me internally _or_ externally.” He smugly tapped his headgear for emphasis.

“Yeah, and even if I _wasn’t_ undead, the spider part of me is actually a highly venomous species, so I’m practically immune to poison, corrosive or not!” Brian added.

“And _I’m_ a dragon; these scales are corrosion-proof _and_ I eat poison gas for breakfast!” Scafe bragged. “…Although it _does_ give me _nasty_ indigestion sometimes…”

The intercom was silent for a long moment before the gas hissed to a stop. “ _…Dammit!…I did_ not _think that one through…_ ” Sylvie cursed to herself.

“And _you’re_ supposed to be the highly-educated one…?” Tsuneo scoffed at the intercom before manifesting the Reaper Blade to pry one of the doors open. However, he was interrupted by Sylvie suddenly brightening up again.

“ _Well! On the plus side, these doors are 100% indestructible, and even the_ slightest _attempt to forcing them open will trigger a failsafe. So even if I can’t kill you, you’re still stuck there and at my mercy! Heheheheheheee…and now, I can…uhhh…”_ The diminutive villainess paused as she tried to think of a suitable punishment for her captives. “ _Erm…yeah…hmmm… Aw, fuck it! You three just stay in that room until I think of something horrible to do with you!_ ”

With a frustrated grunt, Sylvie turned off the intercom, leaving the three to think of a plan. “Well,” Scafe began, “if we can’t bust through the doors, then let’s find another way to bust through.”

“ _Scafe…what other fucking place can you break through that isn’t a wall or door?_ ” Zeus demanded.

“How about that crack on the floor?” Scafe said, casually pointing to a section of the floor that was indeed covered in cracks.

“ _…Well, that’s convenient,_ ” Zeus said as Brian pulled out his pencil and started drawing.

“ _Too_ convenient…” Tsuneo chimed in, concerned as a blast charge started to take shape on the floor. “Much as I’d like to say we can use the ventilation shafts to escape, they’re too narrow for our bodies… She’s probably _funneling_ us in a direction.”

“Maybe she is, but it’s not like we have much of a choice…unless you wanna test her bluff about the door failsafes.” Brian shook his head at this observation as he finished his latest creation. “Alright, it’s prepared. Step back…”

With a firm nod, the hybrid waited for Scafe and Tsuneo to back off as far as the corridor would allow. He quickly joined his friends as he drew up the detonator and triggered the controlled blast to cave open the floor; it also shook the room and shorted out the nearby camera. Once the dust cleared and the ringing stopped in their ears, the three of them saw a significant hole in the floor. 

“There’s our exit, boys.” Brian nodded firmly. “No idea what’s down there, but it’s our only option… Welp, here goes.” He leapt into the hole, leaving the other two standing at the edge for a moment.

“…We can do this one of two ways-” Scafe’s attempt at reason was stymied by Tsuneo kicking out his legs from under him and pushing on his back to send him hurtling into the abyss next.

“YOU _MOTHER **FUCKEEEEEeeeeeeeee eeeerrrr…**_” Scafe’s irate bellow quickly faded into the darkness. Tsuneo smirked to himself for a brief moment before turning to the shorted-out camera, flipping the double bird, and letting himself fall backwards into the depths. Moments later, Sylvie returned to the Security Room, having finally thought of a new plan for her captives. To her surprise, the screen connected to her trapped corridor was showing nothing but static.

“H-huh?! What happened to Camera Cloud Chaser?!” Sylvie bit her lip as she fiddled with the control panel. “Come on, you stupid thing!! _Work!!!_ ” Once the cameras were back online, she gasped; her captives were gone, and there was a massive hole in the floor.

“WHAT?! THEY ESCAPED?! NOOOO!” Sylvie quickly pulled out a map of her facility and squinted at the area she thought the trio had jumped into. “They must be in the Waste Disposal section! FUCK! - I didn’t install any cameras there!!! NO FAAAAIIIR!! THEY’RE _LITERALLY_ OUT OF MY SIGHT!! **GYAAAAHHHH!!!!!!** ”

Still howling in disbelief, Sylvie threw a massive tantrum, stomping her feet, throwing anything non-essential around the room, and yelling “Dammit!” at every chance she got. Finally, she slumped into the nearest chair to catch her breath, although her eyes were still ablaze with fury.

“Y’know what? This is fine…this will do…” she mused. “They’ll be at a big disadvantage in Waste Disposal, especially if they meet my best creation ever~!” She promptly slammed her fist on a nearby communicator and yelled, “BIG MAMA!!!! GET IN HERE!” 

The mutant alicorn quickly returned to her master’s side, growling quietly as she sensed Sylvie’s barely-restrained rage. Without even glancing at her minion, Sylvie input a command in the console before her, bringing up still images of the three intruders sneaking through her facility.

“Mama, these boys have infiltrated my super-awesome secret base, and they’ve taken a plunge down into the Waste Disposal wing below. If you could be a dear and **eviscerate** these Crimson troglodytes…that’d be just _peachy~_ ”

After a moment to parse her owner’s rage beyond the saccharine tone, the mutant alicorn nodded silently and left the room, making her way to the lower levels of the facility. With Big Mama gone, Sylvie got up from her chair and stormed out the other door.

“Alright…looks like I’m gonna have to pick up the pace. No more playing around - I’m dissecting that fool _right now!_ No more interruptions~!” And thus, the demented, pony-loving girl headed back to her duties, ready to complete Max’s conversion into another of her pet monsters…

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	3. Lead the Horse to Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To save Max, the Councilmen must dive into the bowels of Sylvie's facility.

#  **Tales of the Society - The Azure Age**

## Chapter 5.3 - Lead the Horse to Die

_**Last time on “Tales of the Society: The Azure Age”...** _

_In order to save Max from Sylvie’s demented clutches, the Crimson Society took a drive into the mountains, split into three teams to cover more ground - alas, they soon ran afoul of Sylvie’s “pets”, a massive herd of twisted mutant ponies! The assault led to the destruction of Brian’s car (to his immense distress and his friends’ immense relief), forcing him, Scafe, and Tsuneo to flee into a nearby cave to avoid being swarmed._

_Now travelling inside the mountain, the three Councilmen discovered an abandoned mine and more mutant ponies, including a particularly malformed specimen that Brian recognized as his old friend Dave! The hapless dog was mutilated almost beyond recognition and slowly succumbing to Sylvie’s control, but Brian refused to believe that he was beyond help; alas, the only help he could give Dave was a swift end to his suffering. With renewed fear for Max’s imminent fate, the trio pressed on, eventually finding a strange facility that seemed to be the source of Sylvie’s mutant monsters._

_After calling the rest of the Society to their location (and fighting off a stealthy, snickering mutant in Brian’s case), the three Councilmen entered the facility, ready for anything that Sylvie might throw at them. However, the demented dwarf still caught them off-guard with a makeshift gas chamber…that proved completely ineffectual on Brian, Scafe, and Tsuneo. That still left them trapped between a pair of heavy-duty security doors, but they escaped once again, this time into the very depths of the facility. Unable to track them, Sylvie has tasked Big Mama with finishing the job…while_ she _gets to work on her latest test subject…_

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After a long fall, Brian, Tsuneo, and Scafe finally made a crash landing in the lower levels of the facility. They found themselves in one of the base’s waste disposal rooms; a huge, dimly-lit chamber filled with old notes, ruined computers, rotting food scraps, and other miscellaneous garbage. 

“Ugh… Is everyone alright?” Brian called out to his friends as he picked himself up off the floor; he was rattled from the fall, but otherwise unharmed.

“Just fine…but you’re still an asshole, Tsuneo!” Scafe dizzily sat up from the pile of garbage he had landed on.

“I’m alright too,” Tsuneo reported. “Thank goodness there was something to break the fall other than rubble and stone.” He sat up and tapped the side of his mask. “So…any idea on where we are?”

“Dunno…but by the Nexus, it _reeks!_ ” Scafe commented. “Heugh…it’s like a bunch of dead bodies had _barf-a-rrhea._ …That’s barf AND diarrhe-”

“ _ **We get it!**_ ” Zeus, Tsuneo, and Brian yelled in unison. 

“That aside, Scafe’s right about one thing…” Tsuneo looked around disdainfully as a subtle green glow colored the lenses of his mask. “This place _does_ smell like a bunch of corpses… _old_ corpses…” 

“Yecch…you’re telling me!” Brian covered his mouth as he walked over to Scafe. “I wonder why that could b-” He froze and pointed at something lying next to his friend, eyes wide with shock. “Scafe…what is that under your hand…?”

“What is _what_ under…my…hand……HOLY FUCKING ASSCRACKERS!!!” Scafe yelped in surprise as he spotted the slimy, decaying hoof beneath his claw. He jumped away in shock, disturbing enough garbage to reveal the form beside him - a creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a malformed pony.

“Oh no…” Brian said, backing away from the mutant. “It’s another one of those incomplete ponies; well, at least this one’s already dea-”

“Uh…Brian? …You _might_ want to have a look at this.” Tsuneo patted Brian’s shoulder to draw his attention to the rest of the room. Anticipating an attack, Scafe had taken flight and summoned a Thunder Chain, filling the room with crackling yellow light. With the increased visibility, the group could see dozens of dead bodies lying in the garbage, every single one showing varying signs of ponification.

“Oh…my… _hgrk!_ S’CUSE ME!!” The chain vanished from Scafe’s claws as he quickly flew to the side of the room and began vomiting on the floor.

“Holy _shit_ …look at them!” Although the room had been darkened with the loss of Scafe’s lightning, the grisly tableau had been irrevocably burned into Brian’s mind. “These…these used to be _people!_ With friends and families, with hopes and dreams…with _lives!_ And Sylvie just threw them away like trash… _literally!_ ”

Tsuneo gave a curt nod, too disgusted by Sylvie’s callousness to respond verbally; meanwhile, Zeus spoke up as something occurred to him. “ _Wait…these things are dead…or dying at least… So why was Dave running around outside the facility?_ ”

“Isn’t…uugh…isn’t it obvious?” rasped Scafe, slowly wiping vomit off his mouth. “Sylvie…must still be experimenting on new victims…like Max! These…these must be the ones that died on the spot…or that she couldn’t control at all. The rest…she must leave them to roam outside her base until they get themselves killed or succumb to her will.”

“This place just gets worse and worse by the minute.” Tsuneo shook his head as he surveyed the chamber with his mask’s night vision setting, wondering how many more corpses were buried beyond his sight. “And to think, this has been going on right under our noses…and at the hands of _Sylvie_ , of all people. If _she’s_ capable of _this_ atrocity, I dread to know what secrets Purgatory has up her fully-armored sleeves.” Shaking off the ominous thought, he turned back to Brian. “Alright, so where do we go from here?”

“Str..auigh..t……tuu……Taar.tar..ressss…” The three Councilmen started at the soft voice that came from somewhere unseen, no less menacing for its rudimentary grasp of English.

“…That wasn’t either of you, and I don’t think Em would play a joke at a time like this, would she, Brian?” Tsuneo queried back to Brian, scanning the room as much as he could with the low light vision he had. “We got company…and it can talk back.”

“Sounds like Sylvie’s sent one of her ‘better’ successes after us,” said Scafe, flying back to his friends. “That can’t be good.”

“ _Nor is **that!**_ ” Zeus’s cry drew the others’ attention to a large doorway on the wall furthest from them, through which Big Mama trotted into the room.

“He..lloo.o… _frru.shhh…meea..at~_ ” The large mutant gave a predatory smile, exposing her crooked fangs as she sized up her targets.

“Wings… _and_ a horn…? Ffffuuuuck…” Brian groaned. “This could get ugly, guys; we’ve got a mutant _alicorn_ to deal with!”

“Looks like Sylvie wants to make sure we die down here.” Tsuneo seemed grimly pleased as he summoned his Reaper Blade. “I wonder how loud she’ll scream when _you’re_ the one left to rot with your fellow trash?”

“Nn…nouu…y..uu…wil…DIIIIE!” The last word came as a roar as Big Mama galloped at the Councilmen, accelerating herself with timely wingbeats. Taken off-guard, the trio were sent flying like bowling pins, landing harshly on separate piles of garbage. Scafe quickly got to his feet and used his chains to toss a nearby corpse at Big Mama, who detonated the body with a magic bolt from her horn. 

“For _fuck’s sake,_ Scafe!” Tsuneo yelled, wishing the dragon was close enough for him to smack in the head. “Show some respect for the deceased, will you!?”

From the look Scafe gave Tsuneo, he was torn between hastily apologizing and calling out the revenant on his skewed priorities before Big Mama rushed over to smash him into the wall with a swift buck of her hind legs. She pivoted on her forehooves to do the same to an approaching Tsuneo; the NeverDead ducked the first shot, but she took out his leg with a second kick before using her magic to toss him into Scafe.

“Rgh! Damn…show some respect for your allies, will you!?” Scafe couldn’t resist echoing Tsuneo’s earlier complaint as he tossed the zombie off of himself; he then swung a chain from the ground, but it was caught mid-flight by Big Mama’s magic. “Shit, that’s not gonna work…”

“Then maybe _this_ will!” With Big Mama distracted by holding the chain, Brian leapt at her from behind, wielding a hastily-drawn battle hammer. At the last moment, the mutant alicorn noticed the incoming blow and flew away, leaving Brian to smash the ground in an explosion of trash and body parts. With the hybrid shaken by the impact, Big Mama fired a magic blast from her horn to send him flying into the same trash heap as his allies.

“Geez!” Brian groaned as soon as he got his face clear of the garbage he had landed in. “This mare’s got _moves!_ ”

“Heh…wow…” Tsuneo chuckled. “Never thought I’d see the day where a pony actually puts up a fight.”

Big Mama hissed evilly, her horn glowing with power. “Yuu…ha..vnt……see..en…anny.thun..g …yett!” In a flash, several orange orbs flew from her horn and disappeared into the sea of garbage below.

“The hell did she just…” Scafe trailed off as a faint moaning noise began to fill the room. The trash shifted in several places - mostly around the mutant alicorn - as several incomplete pony corpses developed an image of Big Mama’s head on their flanks. Orange light surrounded their rotting bodies as they slowly rose up, twitching and jerking like macabre puppets.

“Great, _Pony Necromancy_ …I can tick that one off the list of things I _never_ wanted to witness.” Tsuneo deadpanned as he helped Brian to his feet, pulling him away from the horde as it began lurching towards them.

“Shiiit…this isn’t good. It won’t even _matter_ if we put ‘em down; she’ll just pick ‘em right back up.” Brian pointed out a thrall that was little more than a skeleton dotted with patches of decaying flesh. “We aren’t gonna win this battle of attrition…”

“Then we need to get the hell outta here,” Scafe reasoned aloud, forcing the horde to buckle with a strong wingbeat as he lashed both chains to his allies. “Hang on; we’re about to get some air!” With that, he took off over the horde, swinging Tsuneo at Big Mama along the way to try and disrupt her as they made for an exit door.

“Good work, Scafe; now drop us and blow the doorway!” Brian called out as he and Tsuneo released the dragon’s chains once they passed through the entrance. Once his friends were clear, Scafe shifted his chains to their Explosive form and laid them on either side of the doorway, blowing up the supporting arch to seal off the zombie-infested Waste Disposal Room.

“ _Go down into the basement,_ you said. _It’ll be fun,_ you said!” Tsuneo snarked as the sounds of hooves scraping on stone was heard from the other side of the rubble. “Next time, consider sending us somewhere that’s _not_ tactically disadvantageous, will you?”

“At least we had the advantage in the air,” Scafe added. “Doesn’t look like Pegasi get to keep their flight abilities after death, so I could’ve gone straight for the big one. That’ll be worth knowing if she-” His tactical analysis trailed off as a hole was blasted above the barricade, where the stone was thinnest.

“Well, Scafe…looks like you’ll get to test your hypothesis sooner than you anticipated.” Brian called back as the monstrous alicorn dragged herself through the hole, furious that the trio had escaped her trap. She wasn’t even halfway through before she started firing a veritable storm of magic bolts from her horn, threatening to take down her opponents by sheer volume.

“ _Move it,_ you two!” Tsuneo shoved Brian to one side as Scafe dove the other way, leaving him to take the brunt of the magic bombardment. He intended to tank the blasts until he could get in range for a counterattack; unfortunately, he _drastically_ underestimated how much it’d hurt. “Fuck! Ow! Aaaaaagh!!!” He visibly staggered back as several shots found their mark; sensing weakness, Big Mama focused her fire on him.

“Shit! Those blasts have some _bite,_ Scafe!” As the dragon-man dragged Tsuneo out of the line of fire, Brian drew up a rifle of his own to fire back. “We gotta do somethin’ about her - we can’t hold up to that kind of firepower!”

“I think I might have an idea…but you’re gonna have to trust me!” Scafe threw the revenant backward as he dashed for the alicorn in the wall, deflecting some of her bolts with his chains. Once he was in range, he lashed them around her head and dragged her the rest of the way out of the rubble.

“D.am.mm…dur.ah..gon…! D..IE!!! ” The mutant screeched hatefully as she tried to blast Scafe point-blank, but the dragon seized her horn directly once she was in reach, the vice-like grip threatening to snap it right off as he forced her to the ground. “Le.tt…Goooh!!”

Tsuneo dragged himself to his feet as Scafe brought the beast closer, twigging to the dragon’s plan once he noticed what he was using for support: a control panel right next to an industrial furnace. “You crazy bastard…” He shook his head as he hit the button to open the door. “Alright, throw her in- WHOA!!!” His order went unfinished as Scafe dove headlong into the furnace with Big Mama in tow.

“I was _kidding_ about the crazy!” he yelled.

“Not as crazy as you think!” Scafe smashed the alicorn’s head against one of the steel walls to daze her before stepping back to the door and slamming it shut. Mentally hoping that his friend’s judgement was on point, Tsuneo threw the switch, much to Brian’s palpable dismay.

“Tsuneo!! What the _fuck!?!?_ ” The spider-bunny’s horrified anger was illuminated by the flames roaring to life in front of him. “Scafe, don’t worry; we’ll get you outta there!” He frantically pulled on the door, but the safety lock prevented it from even budging. “Dammit! DAMMIT!!!”

“Brian, calm down!” Tsuneo barked before gesturing to the glass peephole in the door. “Think about it; Scafe’s a _Fire_ Dragon…those scales have incredible heat resistance. Not lava-strong, but definitely fire-strong.” He winced as the Alicorn slammed against the door, shrieking in pain before Scafe caught her in a headlock and pulled her away. His jumpsuit was disintegrating in the inferno, but the man himself wasn’t even fazed. “I…can’t say the same for his clothes, though. You might wanna sketch him a fresh set; thank goodness he wears all black.”

“Ooooh boooy… Sylvie is going to be PIIIIIISSSEDD~!” Brian chuckled to himself as the scratching started to peter out across the furnace walls. He had just sketched up a copy of Scafe’s jumpsuit when a klaxon sounded to denote the end of the furnace’s cycle. The door hissed open, filling the room with acrid smoke as a steaming hot dragon leaned out and reached for his new clothes; however, his hand was halted by the flat of the Reaper Blade.

“Maybe cool down first,” Tsuneo chuckled. “We don’t wanna just burn off your clothes again.”

“Fair ‘nuff…” Scafe withdrew into the furnace with a chuckle of his own. “Yo…while I was making alicorn flambé, I found somethin’ on her.” After a second, he tossed out a slightly damp security card marked with an elaborate sun symbol; presumably, he had put it in his mouth to protect it from the fire.

“Ecch…” Brian grimaced as he stuck a drawn hose into the furnace, filling it with steam as he helped cool his friend down. “Well, good on ya for quick thinking~” He turned the spray on the card once he was done with Scafe; meanwhile, Tsuneo handed the new jumpsuit to his fellow Councilman. “Now we got full access. Any ideas where to use it?”

“ _Why not the Security Room?_ ” Zeus suggested. “ _Finding Max will be a lot easier if we have access to the camera feeds…_ ”

“We’d still have to find it first.” Tsuneo motioned to the narrow stairwell nearby. “This floor is clearly derelict, and the first floor is probably too accessible… Given how it’s built into the mountain, this facility could be _several_ floors high; the Security Room could be on any one of them, and Sylvie won’t be so passive once she sees that her super-monster’s failed.”

“ _Perfect_ …we gotta go door to door _and_ fight pony freaks along the way, and splitting up is probably the most unwise thing we could do…” Brian sighs. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the brat’s got us outfoxed right now…”

“Well…there’s somewhere _else_ I know we should look for.” Tsuneo nodded firmly. “While we look for Max, we should also learn about our enemy…and a _Lab_ door should stick out a lot more than any other. Who knows, we might even find a facility map in there, given that’s where most of the work happens…”

“Sounds like a plan.” Scafe nodded as he finally emerged from the furnace, adjusting the collar of his new jumpsuit. “C’mon, we should-” He paused as the distant rattling of an explosion was heard, followed by a veritable stampede of hoofbeats. “…Sounds like our friends just got here.”

The dragon-man’s theory was promptly proved when a familiar girly shriek echoed from above. “HEY! DIDN’T YOUR MOM TELL YOU IT’S **RUDE** TO MAKE YOUR OWN ENTRANCES?! YOU PESKY PISSANTS NEED TO BE TAUGHT SOME MANNERS - LET’S SEE HOW YA HANDLE MY **CENTAUR!** ” Sylvie’s cackle was accompanied by the thunder of particularly large and heavy hooves overhead, followed by the distant echoes of a furious battle.

“…That works out; Sylvie’s gonna be too focused on the active threats to keep tabs on us.” Tsuneo nodded at his observation as he made for the rather claustrophobic stairs. “Well, let’s move. The sooner we’re outta here, the better.”

With a dual cry of “Right!”, Brian and Scafe followed Tsuneo up the stairs; it was a tight squeeze, but they soon reached a landing with an impressive set of double doors. Using their new keycard, the trio easily slipped inside, finding themselves in a laboratory that dwarfed any room they had seen so far. A number of desks and counters sat near the doors, dotted with science equipment both mundane and exotic. Further in, they saw file cabinets, colorful posters, and large computers lining the walls. A handful of stasis pods lay at the very back of the room, containing half-formed equine atrocities that seemed all too familiar to the Councilmen.

“…These must be the originals; Sylvie’s templates for manufacturing the rest…” While Brian and Scafe busied themselves with checking the files and computers, Tsuneo strode right up to the pods, looking at the tubes and wires criss-crossing their occupants’ exposed flesh and organs. Though malformed, he readily identified most of them; all three of the basic versions, a grinning pink monster labelled “Smiley”, a hulking brute similar to the one that wrecked Brian’s car, and… “…Why are these five little ones all in the same tank?” he mused aloud.

“Hey, Tsuneo!” Brian’s call snapped the revenant from his pondering. “I hate to test your stomach right now, but…come take a look at this.” He waved his friend over to a desk that he had covered in files and folders; meanwhile, Scafe was typing away at a nearby computer. “We’ve found some of Sylvie’s research logs…and you’re _not_ gonna like ‘em.”

Steeling himself for the worst, Tsuneo wandered over, idly taking a pamphlet off a nearby cork board along the way. He had to do a double take when he saw what was on the desk: logs involving mass abductions and the acceptance rate of various ponification procedures. Most shocking of all was how _low_ the latter was; only 1 of every 3 victims survived the first few days after the procedure, all the worse when combined with the census total of abductees.

“Brian, excuse me, but… **30 _thousand!?_** ” Tsuneo’s fears were confirmed by the hybrid’s silent nod. “And going by these numbers…only 10,000 or so actually survived long enough to be the monsters we’re destroying.”

“Eeyup…and it seems the procedures are pretty… _picky_ about who gets to be what.” Scafe’s frown deepened as he read the records of Sylvie’s tests. “The Pegasi only come from people who had wings, Unicorns were those with access to magic, Mega-Ponies were people with exceptional strength, and the Smileys were specifically suited to those Sylvie broke mentally - crazy bitch even kept torture logs to catalogue the best methods to make these fuckers! And these little guys - ‘Munchkins,’ she’s calling ‘em - are spawned in _multiples_ from a single…victim…” He trailed off and clapped a hand to his mouth as his stomach turned yet again. “Heugh…trust me when I say you _don’t_ wanna know how _that_ works.”

“Oh my god…it somehow gets even _worse!_ ” Brian shook his head incredulously as he flipped through a small book marked with an ornate insignia. “The only reason Sylvie’s doing _any_ of this is because - and I quote straight from her personal diary - ‘ _a kingdom is only as great as its subjects._ ’ If I’m reading this right…she’s become _so_ obsessed with _My Little Pony_ that she’s trying to turn the Nexus into a goddamn Equestria knockoff…with herself as its supreme ruler!”

“ _Well, that can’t_ possibly _go wrong for her,_ ” Zeus snorted. “ _I can’t see Weiss being too pleased with her being ‘top dog’ - or ‘pony’, as it may be - even if she somehow got that far. And with all this dirt on her operations at our fingertips…I_ strongly _doubt she’ll get that far._ ”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Tsuneo. “We’ve got just what we need to get this bitch wrecked, even if we can’t kill her here and now. This data, the usual suspect for gathering other subjects too…” He flashed the pamphlet he snatched off the cork board. “This…‘Cult of Ponification’ nonsense. No way anyone’s gonna buy that now.” He chuckled to himself as Brian began shunting papers into the Bag of Holding he had picked up from the Cartoon Hellworks.

“And even if she escapes and runs back to Weiss, he won’t have a reason to keep her around,” Scafe added as he pulled a flash drive from the computer. “She’ll be useless to him without her monster-making operation; he’s _definitely_ gonna disown her.”

“ _Alright, that’s done and dusted then. So the question remains: where’s that damn Security Room?”_ Zeus asked indignantly as the room rumbled from another distant explosion.

“From the sound of it, most of the mutants are still dealing with our friends’ intrusion; it’s probably safe for us to split up,” Tsuneo said. “Stay in communication - if anyone finds the Security Room or the path to it, we head up there, find Max, then wreck Sylvie’s smug little ass. Oh…and be sure to kill anything in the way for good measure.”

“Good idea,” said Brian. “And be sure to keep communications open at all times! Cells don’t work, but shortwave should still work fine - I’ll see if I can give Eli an update and coordinate the gang’s distraction.”

Scafe and Tsuneo nodded in agreement as the trio split up to find their objective; their paths all led to different places on the first floor, but none were particularly fruitful. Brian found an expansive stable, currently unoccupied save for the decaying remains of cannibalized mutants - he promptly left after a severe bout of nausea. Scafe came across what appeared to be an armory, with various weapons and pieces of armor scattered about - apparently, Sylvie had intended to form a “Royal Guard”, but her creations had yet to understand the concepts of armed warfare. Eli reported that he was still fighting mutants with the rest of the Society; despite the seemingly endless waves of foes, they were holding their own and keeping Sylvie’s attention on them.

Meanwhile, Tsuneo’s search for the Security Room had led him to the Mess Hall, where Sylvie fed her mutant ponies. The floor was lined with troughs linked to the “kitchen”, which was full of corpses in various states of mutilation and machines used to grind them into paste for the horrible herd. Tsuneo was grateful that he didn’t have to breathe, since he had a feeling that the smell in the hall was overpoweringly foul.

“Well, now I see what Brian was talking about…there’s traces of both equine and non-equine meat in these troughs…” The revenant shuddered in revulsion before he heard movement behind himself. He immediately went stock-still; they were close enough to have the advantage if he tried to attack. Furthermore, he recognized the approaching gait; a barely-audible padding alternating with a light clank.

“Quantum…” he said. “I wasn’t expecting _you_ here, of all places…it’s not Sylvie’s style to recruit you.”

“Do not be alarmed, NeverDead; I am not here to combat you.” The cyborg Pokémon’s monotonous words were unreadable, but the lack of any attempts to restrain or attack Tsuneo lent them credence. “Confrontation would impede my current objective; I merely wish to talk.”

“Alright…I’ll bite, why are you here?” Tsuneo remained tense, ready for any hint of hostility or incoming backup. “It’s clearly not to conscript me into your Azure fanclub; you know _damn well_ where my loyalties lie.”

“Lord Weiss commanded me to check up on Sylvie’s progress,” Quantum answered. “Considering that you and the others are still alive, it is obvious that she has yet to complete her mission…disappointing, but not unexpected. However, I have already completed that task…and thus I can address a… _personal_ stake in this conflict.”

“A personal stake…?” Tsuneo frowned behind his mask as he decoded Quantum’s words. “Huh…did Sylvie offend you somehow? Given what little I can assume from the last I saw of you, I can see a scientist rubbing you the wrong way, especially one so immature and inhumane… Let me guess, you want us to stop her work here in exchange for telling us Max’s whereabouts?”

“Perceptive as ever…that is correct.” Quantum almost seemed slightly amused. “Both Sylvie and Max are currently in the Operation Theater at the top floor. The elevators are just north of here, requiring Sun-Level clearance to reach the top floor. I surmise you have the master security card from Big Mama, if she has failed to dispatch you.” There was definitely a note of amusement in his voice now. “…After all, _I_ am the one who planted it on her person.”

Tsuneo shook his head with a smirk of his own. “…A true saboteur, even to your own allies.” He nodded gratefully before flicking off the shortwave communicator in his helmet - Scafe, Brian, and Eli had heard everything. “Thanks for the help, Quantum - I promise we’ll put a stop to Sylvie’s experiments.”

Quantum’s mutilated lips curled upwards slightly as he turned away. “Even _I_ need to put my foot down once in awhile. Now I must go report to Lord Weiss.” He raised his mechanical arm in preparation for a teleport, but Tsuneo made him pause with one last question. 

“Why Weiss?”

Quantum stood silently for so long that Tsuneo wondered if he was even going to respond, but he eventually glanced at the Councilman from the corner of his eye. “I adhere to logic in all things…but I too have my loyalties,” he said. “Conflict between the two is inevitable, but for the moment…my place is with Weiss. We shall meet again, Tsuneo…but it will not be on friendly terms. Farewell.”

The undead warrior finally turned to see the cyborg Pokémon vanishing in a pillar of digitized light. “Quantum…we were always quite the pragmatists. I’ll be waiting.” He chuckled softly as the sound of rapid footsteps filled the air, heralding Brian and Scafe’s arrival in the Mess Hall. 

“We heard everything!” Brian’s words came in a huff as he caught his breath after his sprint. “I’m shocked that Quantum was so willing to help!”

“ _Even Evil Has Standards,_ Brian,” Tsuneo quipped at his confused friend. “…Now, the nearest elevator’s directly north - we take it straight to the top using our keycard, and we bust Sylvie’s underdeveloped ass on the spot.”

“And we need to hurry,” Scafe added. “Sylvie’s gotta be feeling the pressure by now; Max probably doesn’t have much time left…”

With that ominous thought, the three Councilmen hurried to the elevator; as Quantum had said, they needed to use their keycard to bring themselves to the topmost floor. Upon arrival, they each took a bracing gasp and exchanged determined nods before Brian opened the doors to reveal the grisly sight beyond. The Operating Theater was long and wide, with tanks of rainbow sludge and various machines giving it a claustrophobic atmosphere. More pertinently, the trio spotted Sylvie turning to regard them, with an empty operating table and a tank full of organs behind her.

“Hi there~!” she chirped, lowering her surgical mask to expose her cheeky grin. “Aww, you here to see your friend’s _biiig_ operation?” Her falsely sweet smile widened as she stepped closer to the door behind her. “Well, I’m afraid you _juuust_ missed him. Ol’ Mummypants’s surgery was a total success - my pets are doing some post-op work on him in the dark room over here~! He’s about…65% complete, I think~”

“ **65%?!** ” Scafe roared in despair. “No!! Don’t tell me we’re too late!!”

“Hmmmmm…” Sylvie tapped a finger to her chin in mocking thought. “Judging by the fact that his organs are in this vat here, I’d say… _yep,_ you’re too late~! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to-” Her saccharine braggadocio was interrupted when Tsuneo rushed at her, reaching for her neck with palpably violent intent; without missing a beat, she opened the nearby door and stepped aside. Mere feet away from his quarry, Tsuneo was intercepted by several small pony-mutants; he swatted the first wave aside, but that only allowed their fellows to bite into his arms.

“C’mon out, colts and fillies; it’s _feeding time~!!_ ” Sylvie practically squealed in sinister delight as a dozen more Munchkins swarmed the revenant, trying to dogpile him. While Brian and Scafe ran to assist, the wicked fangirl ran to her dark room to finish her procedure, but she came to a halt when she registered a distinct lack of mutant ponies in the hall. “Wait…I had _way_ more of you in here before! Where’s the rest of you!? …Oh…don’t tell me…!”

Sylvie diverted her path down the hallway to the nearby Security Room, scowling to herself as she observed the screens. Thanks to Quantum’s tip, Eli had alerted Irene to Max’s location; she had portaled herself and B.Nana just above the Operating Theater to blast open the dark room. She had the common sense to portal the rest of the cavalry to her once she had found Max’s body, and the backup was able to take out the Mega-Ponies preparing to shape the bear’s bones into an equine anatomy. 

“No no no no…GODDAMN IIIT!!!” Sylvie smashed the console with both fists as her temper broke. “YOU’VE GONE AND _FUCKED UP_ NOW, YOU **FUCKERS!!** YOU JUST MESSED WITH THE _QUEEN_ OF THE FUCKING _HERD,_ AND I’M GONNA LOVE, TOLERATE, AND **FUCKING _MURDER_ THE _SHIT_ OUTTA YOOOOU!!!**” She gasped for breath after letting her frustrations free, grimly concluding that she had only one option left in this situation…

“Fine then! You wanna put an end to my project? You wanna see everything go up in flames!? You’ll get a front-row seat…when I _blow you up with this whole damn bunker!!_ ” Sylvie turned over the main console to reveal a big red button marked with a skull. “I’M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!!! YOU WILL ALL **FUCKING _DIE!!!_** ”

With a scream of frustration, Sylvie pushed the button before her; in an instant, the entire facility began flashing red with emergency lights as a siren began wailing through the halls. The evil fangirl promptly jumped into an emergency exit at the back of the Security Room as the rest of the Society rejoined Brian, Scafe, and Tsuneo in the Operating Theater with Max’s body in tow.

“What in the nine hells is going on now!?” Irene had to shout to be heard over the alarms.

Scafe’s eyes narrowed as he scraped the ashen remnants of a Munchkin off his scimitar. “Wait… Flashing red lights…siren… This could only mean one thing…”

On cue, an electronic voice sounded over the alarms. “ **WARNING! SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. EVACUATE FACILITY IMMEDIATELY. 5 MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION.** ”

“ARE YOU KIDDING!?” everyone yelled.

“THAT BITCH ACTIVATED A SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE!” Irene screamed before slumping in place, a faint blue tint flickering over her wings. “Godsdammit… **I** wanted to be the one to blow this place to pieces…” she whined under her breath.

The Society was still absorbing this new turn of events when the intercom screeched to life once more, broadcasting Sylvie’s final hysterical order. “ATTENTION, ALL EARTH PONIES! IT’S TIME FOR YOUR GREATEST SERVICE TO THE GODDESS OF YOUR NEW EXISTENCE! HEAD TO THE TOP FLOOR…AND EVISCERATE THESE CRIMSON PONY-HATERS **OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET!!!** ”

“Well, this just got dangerous…” Tsuneo quickly took control of the situation before anyone could start panicking. “Irene, you remember where Eli and Dante parked?” Irene’s nod prompted him to elaborate, but Tim interrupted further orders.

“I know we have very little _time_ to spare…but poor Max has even _less_ than the rest of us,” he said. “Fortunately, I have a solid grounding in medical science and an expertise in chronomancy; give me about three minutes, and I can fix him up here and now-”

“And thanks to Irene, we can get to the cars the moment you’re done!” Brian finished Tim and Tsuneo’s shared thought. “That leaves the rest of us to handle the incoming company…Society, form up! Irene, Brittany, you’ll be bombarding the two entrances to the Theater; the rest of you watch Tim’s back!”

A resounding cry of “Yes sir!” came from around the room as the various Society members took up a circular formation around the operating table. The battle for Max’s life was about to begin.

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	4. Live for the Herd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max's life is on the line. Can Dante and Tim save him before the facility goes nuclear?

#  **Tales of the Society - The Azure Age**

## Chapter 5.4 - Live For The Herd

_**Last time on “Tales of the Society”…** _

_To escape Sylvie’s trap, Brian, Scafe, and Tsuneo blasted their way into the corpse-filled bowels of the facility; in response, Sylvie sent Big Mama to dispose of them. The three Councilmen managed to slay the mighty mutant alicorn, claiming a master keycard from her in the process; with the fiendish fangirl occupied by the rest of the Society’s incursion on her base, they snuck into a laboratory with incriminating evidence of Sylvie’s crimes. Taking the files with them, the trio resumed their search for Max, unaware that Sylvie was finally beginning the ponification process on their friend…_

_However, our heroes received unexpected assistance from Quantum, who had come to check on his ally’s progress. Offended and appalled by Sylvie’s inhumane actions, the stoic cyborg quietly gave the Society the intel they needed to get the drop on Sylvie. They quickly secured the top floor where Max was being held, but the bear’s dissection was well underway, moreover, Sylvie managed to escape and set off the facility’s self-destruct sequence._

_With Max at death’s door, a whole herd of monsters en route, and the bunker less than 5 minutes away from explosive destruction, any sane person would cut their losses and run like hell; however, the Society_ never _abandons one of their own. And so, the group is digging in, ready to hold off Sylvie’s mutant menagerie until Tim can save the British Mummy’s life…_

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Between the sounds of wailing sirens and the computerized system voice announcing the continued progress of the self-destruct timer, Sylvie’s ponification facility was the picture of chaos. Nonetheless, the mood was eerily calm in the Operating Theater where Tim was preparing to operate on Max’s ravaged body. The well-dressed pegasus had donned a mask and gloves while his friends did what they could to help his preparations - Becky used her ice powers to keep Max’s body cooled, Eli and Brian searched through Sylvie’s files for information on her ponification procedure, and Dante retrieved Max’s organs from the vat of rainbow-colored ooze where Sylvie had stored them.

“Ewww…they’re all multi-colored and shit… it’s like a bad drug trip.” The raccoon-dog grimaced as he scooped the organs into a nearby bucket. “Ughhh…why am _I_ playing medical intern again?”

“ _Because_ you were the last one to say ‘ _Not It_ ’ out of the ‘last liners’.” Tim sighed impatiently as Zuula helped Dante drag the bucket to a cleaning station. “Now _do_ hurry along - time is not exactly on our side here.”

Dante scowled to himself, but continued his work as quickly as he could. Meanwhile, Tsuneo, Eli, Scafe, Irene, B.Nana, Juliet, Tavo, and Emperor were standing in a loose formation around the operating table, with Irene keeping her rocket launcher leveled at one door, and B.Nana having planted _literal_ Potato Mines along the other door. Everyone’s eyes and ears were peeled for the first sign of incoming hostiles as they reviewed their strategy.

“Alright, we’re clear on the plan,” Tsuneo whispered. “Those mutants will be coming _en masse_ , so the moment anything shows up, Irene and B.Nana will go nuts on ‘em with their explosives.”

“Yaaay~!” B.Nana cheered, wielding bunches of Banana Bombs in each hand. “We get to blow stuff up!

“I _like_ this plan.” Irene smirked as she hefted her rocket launcher onto her shoulder and loaded what could only be described as an explosive “Christmas tree”: dozens of variably-sized mini-missiles attached to one extremely long rocket.

“When - yes, _when_ \- some freaks trickle into the room, the Melee team here’s gonna hang around Tim; we’re on a time limit, so we can’t afford to let even _one_ of these fuckers break his concentration.” As Tsuneo spoke, Becky staved off any questions about Max’s safety by erecting a half-bubble shield of ice around the unattended side of the operating table. “Anyone else fighting at range is gonna be roaming the outer ring to pick off other threats or large groups. That includes our explosive experts; we don’t want the bombs making Tim’s job harder.”

“This calls for some _literal_ firepower!” Tavo called up Gorgoroth with his Hellgate portal as he loaded his magnum. “Hope you’re ready for a workout, pal.” He ran to the outer ring, with Becky keeping to the area behind Tim, Eli and Brian running along the other side.

“Formation set… Looks like it’s _time,_ doctor.” Tsuneo’s pun made Tim roll his eyes as he helped clean the organs Dante brought with him.

“And not a moment too soon, I reckon,” said Scafe, perking his ears as the first growls and hoofbeats sounded over the sirens. “Here comes the party!”

“ **4 MINUTES UNTIL COMPLETE DETONATION. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY…** ” The update on the base’s self-destruction sequence only increased the Society’s nerves, especially when the room began to shake from the incoming mutant horde.

“I can hear three different kinds of hoofbeats…but no wingbeats or any such.” Athena warned. “Sylvie did specify her ‘Earth Ponies’, but it looks like that includes her Munchkins and Mega-sized brutes…”

“Probably ‘cause they’re already doomed as is,” Brian reasoned. “They ain’t outrunning this blast without wings or magic; the most they can do is take us down with ‘em.” He readied his pencil as he regarded the small group surrounding the table. “Stay alert - if anything gets through the first line, we’ve gotta take it down, and fast.”

“Precisely,” said Tim, having set another organ on the tray table beside him. “Are those organs cleaned yet, Dante?”

“I’m working on it, I’m working on it!” Dante whined, furiously scrubbing the rainbow-stained organs in the sink. “Thank fuck that this dwarf had the sense to integrate an entire operation work station in this one table…but how do I know when I’m done?!”

“I’d say when they stop spewing out multi-colored gunk from every pore,” Zuula quipped. “Now scrub faster before I give you a few _lashes~!_ ” She cracked the air with her tentacles for emphasis.

Dante grumbled to himself as the rumble of approaching monsters reached its peak…only to be swiftly drowned out by the explosions of B.Nana’s mines at the back door. A split second later, the elevator opened to reveal at least seven Mega Ponies sardine-packed in. Irene briefly wondered if the brutes could even _leave_ their cramped confines, but she decided not to risk it; with a flick of her trigger finger, her rocket launcher released its ordnance.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS, FUCKERS!!!” she cackled as the mini rockets broke away to bust open the wall before the main one blew up the contents of the elevator all at once. The resultant blast sent the box careening down the shaft, its metal brakes squealing all the way down before a rumbling thud made most of the Society jump, even Tsuneo did a double-take at her eager callout.

“I am SO glad we don’t need that to leave!” Eli called out, having witnessed the fall. “Scratch one way these freaks can-” He froze as several tiny hooves crested over the open doorway, accompanied by a whole chorus of crazed giggles echoing out of the blown-out elevator.

“ _We_ warned _you about the Smileys, **Dumb** Mustang!_” Zeus snarled. “ _…Although knowing that Munchkins can get up there is an unpleasant surprise; little bastards probably have the run of the vent shafts…_ ”

“Alright then…” Tsuneo glanced around the room, seeing the ventilation system lining the ceiling like a maze. “We’ll just have to get rid of their network above us before they get up there; Irene, blast out those vent connectors! Scafe, rip out the center pieces before they fall on Tim or the defense group!”

While the mentioned Society members carried out their orders, the rest engaged the oncoming mutants. At the same moment, Dante finally straightened up, holding a bucket of de-rainbowfied bear organs.

“Alright, done!” The raccoon-dog hurried over to the table and dumped the organs on an empty tray. “Ready to put your money where your mouth is, Tim?”

Tim only smiled as he produced his pocket watch. “Leave the rest to me, Dante.” With a click of the stopper, he released a wave of energy around himself, Dante, and the surgical table, forming a bubble of light brown energy that drastically accelerated the time flow within it.

“Ooooh,” Dante looked around with amusement as Tim picked up Max’s pancreas and got to work. The system voice announced “ **3 MINUTES UNTIL COMPLETE DETONATION.** ”, but it was almost unintelligibly slow to Dante and Tim’s perspective as the two set to work at what seemed to be an impossibly fast pace to those outside…not that they had time to notice as the Operating Theater became a massive bloodbath.

“Grrrr…haven’t you freaks heard of _self-preservation?!_ ” Scafe roared, lashing a Thunder Chain around the floor beneath him to electrocute the stragglers running below while he tore down one of the vents.

“AAAARGH! How many ponies can possibly be _left_ here?!” Eli slid under one mutant’s pounce to jab his staff into its belly. Thus stunned, the monster was easy prey for Juliet, who stuck several explosive knives in its body before kicking it back into its fellows.

“The files we had said there were about 10,000 or so alive, and I feel like we’ve only just broken three digits!” Brian threw a drawn javelin at a Smiley trying to climb the wall to avoid the melee. “Some of those are pegasi and unicorns…but Earth Pony variants are the most common by far, and Munchkins are _multiples_ of a single victim! I’d say there’s at least 7000 more headed this way!!”

“Aw man!” B.Nana cried, hurling another Banana Bomb into the now-badly-abused doorway still disgorging hordes of mutant ponies into the room. “I tried to overstock, but I’m _still_ not sure if I brought enough bombs for this party!” Her fist swelled to twice its size as she clocked one pony that came too close for comfort, giving her time to pull out another round of fruity explosives.

“Can we _please_ get an E.T.A. on how much longer we have to keep this up? I am NOT about to be entombed in this disgusting lab!” Irene called out even as she used a portal to blindfire rockets into the elevator shaft to try and stave off the incoming Smileys. A Mega-Pony attempted to catch her blind side, but it was met with a vicious blast from the shotgun in Irene’s off hand.

“Less griping, more pony-slaying!” Tsuneo’s determination was undimmed even as he vaulted over several dead monsters to behead another Mega-Pony with his Reaper Blade. “We’re not leaving until Max is back in one piece - even if we have to _bury_ ourselves in dead horse-freaks!”

At the center of the desperate brawl, Tim and Dante worked furiously to restore Max’s organs to their proper places. Outside the time-warping bubble they were using to accelerate their working speed, Brian, Emily, Zuula, and Becky were fending off whatever ponies tried to flank their friends. Becky had the idea to freeze the piling corpses in the doorways to stall further reinforcements; incoming Mega-Ponies quickly smashed through, but it reduced the pressure on her allies for precious seconds.

“ **2 MINUTES UNTIL COMPLETE FACILITY DETONATION.** ” The system voice’s monotonous report drew out groans of frustration and worry from the defenders.

“As amusing as this endless slaughter is…I can’t help but feel like a lion surrounded by hyenas.” Zuula’s grin was as wide and sick as ever, but her eye flashed worriedly as yet another mutant pony was sent flying by her tentacles.

“Yeah; these guys don’t even _taste_ that great!” Emily chomped on an errant Munchkin with a grunt of disgust, ripping out its throat before kicking it away like a soccer ball. “Brian! When the actual hell are Tim and Dante s’posed to be done with Max!?”

Before Brian could reply, the time bubble around the table vanished as Tim threw off his mask with a sigh of relief. “It’s done! One stitched-up bear, full of organs and minus some unknowable sludge!” he announced. “Max won’t wake up for a while longer, but he’s physically complete! Thanks for resetting the bones, Dante; your strength was welcome.”

“What can I say? I’ve got a _lot_ of self-training for that shit.” Despite his usual cockiness, Dante looked just as relieved at the successful operation. “Let’s blow this sci-fi stable before it blows _itself_ up!”

“Alright then…all fighters converge on the Operating Table!” After the group followed Tsuneo’s order, Becky finished the ice bubble seal to separate them from the horde. “Irene, Portal Drop us outside!”

“On it! Hold onto your asses…” With a moment’s concentration, Irene opened a large portal within the ice bubble, dropping the Society back on the mountain road in seconds. The cacophony of Sylvie’s doomed bunker was abruptly silenced as the portal sealed behind them, allowing the group to regard the mostly-barren wastes around their entry point.

“Seems Sylvie didn’t think to put a rear guard at our escape vehicles. Thank everything…” Brian allowed himself a sigh of relief before returning to business. “Dante, get Max in your car; I need to…fix Trisha.” He gestured at his ruined ride, oblivious to (or willfully ignoring) the looks of bewilderment he received from his friends - Tsuneo silently put two fingers to his mask’s “Record” button.

“Trisha…?” Irene blinked as she looked at the mangled Mercedes-Benz. “You… _named_ your car?! Bunny Butt…how utterly _desperate_ must you-” She was cut off by Emily jumping to her boyfriend’s defence.

“Hey! Don’t judge!” she cried. “ _Everybody_ does that!”

“… _We_ didn’t,” Eli and Dante said in unison, prompting a victorious fist pump from Scafe as Tsuneo stopped recording with a smirk of his own and a small wave of chortles ran through the rest of the Society. Brian remained stone-faced, but one could easily imagine the sweatdrop gracing his forehead as he turned to his car with his pencil in hand.

“Okay, we can rib Brian later; let’s help him fix his ride for now,” Eli said to Dante. “We’re going nowhere fast without him too.” He and the raccoon-dog went over to assess the damage and help Brian redraw what needed to be replaced while the other Society members gathered to discuss their next move.

“We still need to get as far away from this place as possible in the next…minute, I think?…and track down a certain pigtailed mad-scientist horsefucker in a girl’s body.” Juliet brandished a few knives for emphasis. “If she’s got her fliers and casters with her, she could be right outta the mountains by now; we can’t let her set up another horse-freak factory.”

“Luckily, she won’t be able to sucker unwitting Nexians with her usual methods anymore.” Tsuneo glanced back at Brian as he spoke. “He’s holding onto a ton of data from one of her labs, including the vectors of recruitment and the success rates for each procedure… No one with a lick of sanity is gonna willingly join anything she’s fronting.”

“THANK FUCKING GOD for that!” Tavo exclaimed. “But that still leaves Juliet’s other point; Sylvie’s got a huge-ass head start on us, so she could be pretty much _anywhere_ by now!”

The other members of the Society began theorizing where Sylvie might flee to, but Emily was distracted by a glimpse of movement in the distance. Quickly excusing herself from the discussion, she stepped away from the group and peered across the cliffs; what she saw made her expression drop like a rock.

“Uuuuuuhhh…guuuys?” she whimpered. “I…think Sylvie’s coming to us…”

Following Emily’s extended finger, the rest of the Society looked over the moonlit mountains. Their hearts sank as they witnessed a black mass surging across the peaks - a massive flock of mutant pegasi heading straight for them.

“…Well, shiiiit. That’s a _lot_ of glue…” Becky said grimly.

“… _Now_ do I have permission to nuke something?” Irene asked with a frown.

A series of orange flashes brought the group’s attention back to the road, where dozens of mutant unicorns were teleporting in around them. The impromptu light show ended with a large, bright blue explosion on the road directly behind the Society’s cars, heralding the arrival of a colossal monster. Beneath several plates of jet-black armor, it had sleek gray fur on its lower body and brilliant red-and-gold scales on its humanoid torso. Four long horns curved from each side of its snake-like head, which was little more than skin and bones. Unnatural blue embers escaped its jaws with every breath, matching the flames enveloping its hooves. The beast’s imposing presence was completed by the rows of massive black spines running down its back, making it look like nothing so much as an equine archdemon.

“Braaavo…bravo indeed.” Sylvie slowly clapped her gloved hands from her perch on the monster’s back. “I really gotta hand it to you for single-handedly _ruining **everything** I worked so hard for!_ My facility, my research, my potential greatest pony…even my best creation ever…poor Big Mama…” She paused to wipe away a single tear. “You guys are _seriously_ annoying, _seriously_ persistent, and a Grade-A _migraine_ to deal with! You’re like Vampire Fruit Bats fluttering around Sweet Apple Acres…but not nearly as adorable and easy to shoo away!”

“I don’t know whether to be impressed that she managed to ponify a demon, or _pissed_ that she ponified a demon,” Irene muttered. “Either way, those blue flames are _awesome as hell;_ I’m actually jealous.”

The other Society members stared at Irene as Sylvie leaned over to wink at her, giggling like the little girl she appeared to be. “Oh? You like? Your Councilman pals might’ve ended my number-one pony creation…but this big fella’s my **super-secret weapon!** It’s amazing what you can do when you ponify three demonic deities, get an _actual_ DNA sample of Tirek, and stuff it all into my ex-boyfriend. I call him… **Big Papa!** ”

Sylvie’s introduction was punctuated by Big Papa’s roar, a thunderous sound that seemed to shake the entire mountain almost as much as the explosion behind the Society as Sylvie’s bunker finally detonated. Irene opened a large portal over her friends to shield them from any falling debris - sadly, none of it was large enough to drop on the horrible herd assembled around them.

“ **YYOOOUUUUU!!!** HOW _DAAAAARREEE_ YOU AAANNNGEEERR OUR MMOOOTTHHHEER!!!” Every bellowed word was accompanied by gouts of blue fire from Big Papa’s mouth and nostrils. The surrounding unicorns joined in the roar, which was faintly echoed by the pegasi still approaching the plateau.

Tavo gulped as he sized up the odds. “Welp, we’re boned.”

“Now is not the _time_ for fear, my friend.” Tim was already reaching for his lightsaber. “This is the _time_ to stand and fight.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Tsuneo held his Reaper Blade at the ready as he glared at Sylvie. “I’m gonna cut you to pieces even - and _especially_ \- if I have to fight my way through every mutant monster you’ve got left!”

Irene smiled with false sweetness as she summoned her rocket launcher. “As much as I’d love to know how you got that awesome blue flame, I’m gonna have to agree with Tsuneo here: you’re all long-overdue for some _fourth-degree burns!_ ”

“Oooooooh?” Sylvie purred. “So we’re going _that_ direction, are we? You wanna fight my absolute strongest creation ever… _and_ the _**thousands**_ of ponies I’ve brought as backup? Is _that_ what you want to do~?”

Tsuneo chanced a glance at Brian’s car, hoping by some stretch of a miracle that it was already fixed; alas, the damage was far too extensive. There wasn’t enough room in the remaining cars for the whole group, and none of the Councilmen would leave anyone behind. Even Irene’s portals were out as an option; the surrounding enemies were too close, and Tsuneo wasn’t about to bet against the magically-inclined monsters having a way to track their teleportation…

“LEEEROOOOYYY JEEEEENNKIINNS!!!” The tense standoff was broken by Dante’s gleeful shout as he brazenly charged straight at Big Papa. An incoming pegasus slammed him into the cliff face as a result, but that seemed to shake Tsuneo’s stupor, his free hand went to his mask comms as he silenced his Vocal Cipher, making himself unintelligible to all but the shared comms of his allies.

“Listen well, Society,” he said. “We’re totally surrounded and outnumbered, down a Councilman, and facing a very big threat. Normal people would surrender immediately…but we’re not normal people.” He turned his focus to the crazy raccoon-dog extricating himself from beneath a freshly-stabbed pegasus corpse. “Dante…you up for some Vehicular Manslaughter? Get in your car and take out the ground fodder. That’ll keep Max safe from assault and take care of a lot of Unicorns in the process. Brian, draw up some armor plates on it; _really fucking sturdy ones._ He’ll need ‘em.”

With a nod, Brian shifted his attention to Dante’s car as Tsuneo continued his orders. “Flying members, bring as many pegasi down to earth as you can; either Dante will make ‘em into road pizza or we’ll clean up from there. Brittany, you got any bombs that remain explosive unpicked and can get run over?”

“I think I’ve got just the thing!” B.Nana dug in her unseen pockets to pull out a handful of watermelon seeds. “Just gimme a sec and we’ll have a bumper crop of **Waterbombs!** ”

Tsuneo nodded as his instructions continued. “The rest of you hold your ground in the center of the mine landing; that’ll keep you out of Dante’s way while you knock these freaks _into_ his path.” His final order was directed at his dreadlocked fellow Councilman. “Eli, toss me your keys. I’ll focus on the horde’s crux myself; one good shot on Sylvie’s all we need, and I’ll take anything that’ll give me a shot at closing the distance.”

“…Oh yeah, right!” Brian’s eyes widened as he recalled something he read in the ponification files. “Sylvie’s hive-mind link to the herd means they _literally_ can’t live without her - if she dies, all of our pony problems are solved!”

“You better take care of my ride, Deadfield!” Eli tossed Tsuneo his keyring with the hand not holding his staff. “I just paid off the bodywork on this one!”

“A dent or two won’t mean much by the end of this…” The revenant allowed himself an eye roll under his mask. “Ready? BREAK!” He flipped his Cipher back on as the rest of the Society broke into their formations for their tasks. Dante ran to his V6 with Brian close behind; the latter drew some simple turrets to handle the grounded mutants while the flying Society members dashed over to protect the car from above. Further out, Becky and Zuula chased B.Nana around the clearing to defend her as she planted her bombs. The remainder of the group prepared themselves for battle in the center of the clearing as Tsuneo broke away from them all, heading straight for Eli’s Mustang.

“Ohhh, so you _do_ wanna go down fighting…fighting _each other,_ that is~” Sylvie watched her foes’ preparations with smug confidence; as far as she could tell, they were split four ways on their next plan of action, her eyes firmly planted on the lone revenant going for the sleek green car. “Glad we’re on the same page, ‘cause my babies are _starving_ for the flesh of some facility-wrecking dumbasses! She slid back down to her usual seat on Big Papa’s back before calling out to her minions. “I think we’ve given ‘em enough time to say their goodbyes - let’s Love, Tolerate, and **MAUL THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!** The lunch rush is here, my pretties!!! _**CHAAAAAAARRRRGGGEEEEE!!!!!**_ ”

“YEEESS, MOTHER!” Big Papa roared in acknowledgement, blue fire erupting around his horns and fists as the surrounding horde descended upon the landing in earnest. “ENEMIES OF THE HERD, PREPARE FOR **DESTRUCTIOOOOON!!!** ” Not seconds later, the bloodbath began, with mutant freaks dying left and right as the flyers knocked the pegasi out of the sky as best they could, especially those trying to divebomb Dante’s car. Brian had drawn up five turrets with spider legs to have them roaming the space around his car and sidestep blasts of magic. With defenses prepared, Brian hastily began drawing up armor plates on Dante’s car, sacrificing aesthetics for pure rugged resilience.

“This Frankenstein’s Monster better be able to take beatings _I_ could envy, Brian!” Dante snarked as he slashed up more of the diving Pegasi getting too close to his ride, waiting for the Councilman to finish the impromptu upgrades as the spider bunny rolled his eyes, drawing up a large bolted scoop on the rear bumper. Scafe snared one of the Pegasi just before it could chomp down on Brian’s ears; the hybrid recoiled a moment before passing a thumbs up to his air support as he tossed the Pegasus into a crowd advancing on the planting trio.

“Woo! Most extreme gardening _ever~!_ ” B.Nana’s cheer didn’t hamper her seed-planting in the slightest as she and her bodyguards reached the halfway point of their lap around the landing. Watermelons were starting to grow in her wake, some even planted next to the coal piles to take out more fliers with flaming shrapnel when they detonated. It took all the two bodyguards had just to make sure Brittany wasn’t getting assaulted on all sides as she vigorously scouted new places to set up the explosives; fortunately, the ponies mostly ignored the bombs, given their carnivorous leanings.

“Sounds like some of us are having fun, huh?” Emily chimed in from the center formation, trying to keep spirits up as her rapid assault of strikes kept the horde just out of biting distance, wide sweeps of her bone weapons to keep them back if they clustered too much.

“Don’t relax too much, Em.” Juliet was a blur of motion, flicking knives and slashing her katana whenever a target presented itself. “The plan hasn’t even started yet; we’re just holding out a location so the rest of us can retreat here when the other objectives are done.” She chanced a glance over to Dante’s vehicle, which was nearly fully plated, while Tsuneo hadn’t even tried opening Eli’s door. “What the hell is he doing? He’s wasting time fighting like that!”

“I don’t think he was planning to fight Sylvie right away…” Eli mused as he started thinking to himself right beside her. “Think about it. He’s a lone target and Sylvie’s biggest critic; he’s giving us the opportunity to set up beyond her notice while she focuses all she’s got on exterminating him.” He pointed out the massive demonic monstrosity carrying the diminutive science brat, and how every order she barked involved “that Pony-hating cucklord,” as she’d just said. “We’ll lose that advantage the moment shit starts blowing up…but that’s _his_ cue to go for the kill while she’s lost focus on him. It’s a solid plan…let’s hope it works.”

“And let’s hope you saying it out loud didn’t just _jinx us!_ ” Tavo called back indignantly as Emperor stood between him and the horde. “Haven’t you heard of the ‘ _Unspoken Plan Guarantee!?_ ’”

As the bickering continued in the center group, Tsuneo was cutting down every pony that came his way, an endless flurry of red vapor and orange blood as he kept the pace going. “Is this really the best you’ve got, Sylvie!?” he yelled. “I’ll admit, Mama had some moves, and she hurt like hell, but maybe if you focused on _quality,_ you’d have more of those instead of flying fodder and magic mishaps!” He sidestepped another blast of magic, hitting another unicorn with it instead as he looked up at his true quarry; even with the distance and his mask, she could imagine his trollish smile.

“RRRRR _RRRRRRR **RRRRR!!!!**_ THAT _FUCKING_ TSUNEO AND HIS FUCKING _FACE_ AND HIS FUCKING _SWORDS_ AND HIS FUCKING… **FUUUCCCKKK!!! _I’M GOING TO TURN HIM INSIDE FUCKING OUT!!!!_** ” Sylvie nearly tore her pigtails from her scalp as she raged, completely oblivious to Brian finishing his work on Dante’s car.

“Aaaand…done, Dante!” Brian cried out as he bolted a bladed cage over the hood from the front bumper. “This amazing abomination could probably take one of Irene’s nukes like a speed bump, I bet, AND it’ll fillet whatever hits it head on! I should give it a name…I got it! Say hello to _**Trisha’s Reve**_ \- HEY!!!” He shouted angrily as Dante revved the engine to life, catching a lot of attention on him all of a sudden.

“Ohhhhh baby; you and I are gonna _fuck up some faces_ ~” He patted his steering wheel with anticipation as his tires started to squeal from the building peelout. The racket got Sylvie’s attention as she looked up to see the armored car readying a charge.

“…Ohhh, _hell no!_ All ponies, OUTTA THE WAY!” Her barked order coincided with Dante releasing the brakes and tearing forward, catching some of the fallen Pegasi against his caged hood and bumper as he gored anything too slow to dive aside. Even that wouldn’t save some of them as sudden explosions threw ponies skyward in pieces.

“Sounds like it’s showtime, Nana!” Becky called back after seeing the first blast. “That the last one?” She set up a massive wall of ice, chancing a glance back to the Banana woman, who simply offered a thumbs up as the last watermelon began to sprout rapidly. “Good; let’s form up on the center team!”

With yips of assent from the others, the group started plowing forward when Zuula took the ice wall to use as a battering ram, charging like a frozen freight train as Brian converted his 5 turrets into a silly spread rifle that seemed to smart-target five different ponies at a time, carving out his own path to the center spot. Large explosions rattled the clearing as the group reconvened in the center.

“GAAAAAH!!!” Sylvie clapped her hands to her ears from the renewed cacophony of explosions and squealing tires; even her own dismay at losing sight of Tsuneo and having her herd decimated was dwarfed by the sensory overload. “WHO THE ACTUAL _FUCK_ DROPPED A SONIC RAINBOOM INTO EVERY PINKIE PIE PARTY AT ONCE WHILE TWILIGHT SPARKLE FIGHTS TIREK IN THE BACKGROUND!?!”

“YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--” Dante’s wild screeching was somewhat lost amid the extreme chaos, one of the bombs even causing his car to briefly roll before he wrested control of his wheels again for another vicious donut peelout and charge. His rear scoop obliterated the Waterbombs next to the coal piles, sending chunks of burning minerals through the sky like blazing meteorites. Anything those rocks pegged went up in flames nearly instantly, save for Big Papa and any Unicorns fast enough to erect barriers. The latter were unable to stand up to the high-speed metal deathtrap slamming into them though, and they were also getting smashed to pieces just as easily.

“EEEEEEYYYAAAAAAARGH!!!” Sylvie’s shriek of discomfort was mixed with furious shock as she finally registered the damage being done to her army. “Their kill rates are shooting up ten times faster than fucking PETA - my ponies are getting decimated!!! I gotta get this shit under control, NOW! **BIG PAPA!!!** ”

The titanic mutant let out a thunderous bellow of his own as he leapt into action, slamming down on the next bomb in Dante’s path while rearing up to stomp his car flat. “YOU SHALL BE FLATTENED, INFERNAL CONTRAPTION!”

“GOOD LUCK; I’M BEHIND 80 STEEL PLA- OH FUCKING SHIT!” Dante’s cocky attitude evaporated near-instantly as Big Papa’s flaming hooves smashed into the hood, melting the blades and pushing through the steel plating like a hot knife through butter. Recognizing his ride’s imminent demise, Dante dove through the windshield and into the demon equine in a bid to save his screaming metal deathtrap.

“ **FOOOOOOOOOL!!!** ” Big Papa easily caught the raccoon-dog with his magic and threw him toward the center group, quickly followed by the remains of his weaponized car.

“HIT THE DECK!!!” Brian screeched out as he and the others ducked to avoid the massive projectile, which ended up smashing about a hundred more ponies before it came to a halt on its back.

“Alright…now you fuckers have _really_ stepped in it!” Sylvie was too enraged to care about the friendly fire as she snapped her fingers, directing all the remaining Unicorns to unleash a barrage of magic bolts at the trapped Society members. The group was forced to form up in a tight circle to avoid the barrage; Pegasi dove from above to try and scatter them, but found themselves stymied when Brian drew a massive spring pillar to cover their heads, while Becky formed massive walls of ice and Irene used her portals to cover their openings and redirect the enemy fire.

“Hate to worry you, Bunny Butt, but…we’re running outta steam here!” Irene called back to the Councilman in between pants. “If Tsuneo doesn’t make his move soon, there might not _be_ a Society to save!”

“Give him time, Irene!” Brian shouted. “Tsuneo knows his opportunities - he’ll-” His reassurance was interrupted by a powerful tremor as Big Papa stormed forward, hooves ablaze with fiery power as he reared over the trapped Society.

“Hahahaha~!!! Buh-bye, Crimson Society! Your stupid revenant friend can’t save you now!” Sylvie cackled as her mount prepared to trample the lot of them, but then she registered movement overhead; Tsuneo was plummeting from the cliffs like a peregrine falcon. He flourished his Anarchy Carvers before himself as he dove headfirst toward the small woman; despite the intimidating sight, Sylvie only grinned. “…Right on schedule - do it, Big Papa!”

To the Society’s shock, Big Papa suddenly wheeled around to engulf the incoming revenant with a frankly massive gout of intense blue fire breath. The blast tore an abject shriek of pain from Tsuneo’s lips; something that none of the Society had ever heard from him.

“TSUNEO!!!” Brian suddenly lost all composure again, the spring pillar blasting off high into the sky as he surrendered control to Zeus. _Take the wheel for a minute; I need to think of something!_

“ _Like_ what?!” Zeus demanded, although he took the reins of his vessel’s body nonetheless. “ _Tsuneo was the only one in a position to attack; the rest of us are pinned down and outta options!_ ” He furiously indicated Becky and Irene, who were running themselves ragged trying to maintain the Society’s defenses. “ _We’ve gotta either kill all those monsters at once or pull a miracle outta our asses…or else we’re gonna be killed by fucking SYLVIE, of all people!!_ ”

Tavo glanced around, regarding the thinned, but still incredibly significant numbers. With their plan a bust and two members down, only one thought came to mind: “ **GOD DAMMIT ELI!!!** ” His indignant cry nearly cost him his life as a mutant Pegasus dove through a gap in Irene and Becky’s shield…

Only for it to cross paths with a large stalagmite shooting out of the ground below it, impaling it through the torso. Suddenly, dozens more sprouted up around the Society, forming a thick earthen ring against the attacking horde.

“WHAT!?” Sylvie screeched as Dante’s ruined car began to shake, as if something was hitting it from within. After a few loud thuds, the back door was knocked open, allowing a familiar figure to climb out.

“Oh dear…you started the revenge party without me. That’s poor form.” Max was still naked from the waist up (save for his mask, which Dante had left on the back seat), with his stitches barely holding together after the terrible wreck he’d just survived, but he ignored the pain through sheer force of anger alone as he pulled his sword from the car. “Now then, Sylvie…I’d like to have a _word_ with you.”

**THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN**


	5. Die for the Herd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Society is pinned thanks to Big Papa. Can they do anything about him and stop Sylvie?

#  **Tales of the Society - The Azure Age**

## Chapter 5.5 - Die for the Herd

_**Last time on “Tales of the Society: The Azure Age”...** _

_Between a massive mutant pony assault, the imminent self-destruction of Sylvie’s facility, and the only hope for an eviscerated Max’s survival being Tim’s amateur surgeon’s degree, the Crimson Society certainly had a lot to worry about…but their teamwork saw them through. While most of the gang defended the Operating Theater, Tim and Dante were able to undo the damage Sylvie had done to the ursine Councilman - thanks to the former’s time-slowing powers, it literally only took them a minute to boot! Once Max’s organs were back where they belonged, the Society promptly made themselves scarce, fleeing Sylvie’s doomed facility with mere minutes to spare._

_With the depraved pegasister’s facility destroyed, our heroes turned their attention towards tracking her down. They didn’t have to look for long before Sylvie made her reappearance at the head of every last mutant she had left…including her mightiest creation, Big Papa. With nowhere to run thanks to Brian’s wrecked car, the Society has opted to fight, aided by the knowledge that killing Sylvie will take her entire herd with her. Tsuneo coordinated a multi-phase strategy that tore through the lesser monsters and allowed him to prepare a decisive ambush…_

_…but he didn’t account for Sylvie’s ultimate weapon. Big Papa summarily dismantled the Society’s tactics and pinned them down with the rest of the horde; he even countered Tsuneo’s attack with a blow that made the revenant **scream** for once. Things looked bleak for our heroes…until they received an assist from their thought-to-be-incapacitated friend! He’s far from 100 percent (understandably so), but Max is back in action…and he’s not too pleased with Sylvie’s antics._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Holy shit, Max is still alive!” Scafe called in slight disbelief. “I thought he was done for after taking a ride like that!”

“Trust me…that _hurt to all hell_ and then some… But an assassin cares not for pain…when the mark is right in front of him.” Max planted his sword to use as a crutch, glaring up at Sylvie through his cracked mask. “You raided our house, kidnapped me, took out nearly every vital organ I’ve got and broke every bone you can…all in an effort to make me one of your sick creations. And if I heard right, you did the same to _all_ of these creatures and _tens of thousands_ more…with nary a hint of remorse.” His usual demure tone carried a livid note as he listed off Sylvie’s crimes. “I don’t take contracts anymore…but even if I _did_ …I’D _GLADLY_ GUT YOU FOR FREE!!”

With a roar of abject fury, Max plunged his blade further into the ground, launching sharp stones from the mountainous cliffs like an entire battery of machine guns. Sylvie ducked behind her steed as the shrapnel perforated most of the remaining Pegasi and any Unicorns too slow to erect a barrier; unfortunately, they just bounced off of Big Papa’s armor even before he shielded himself. With most of the air support summarily mangled or dead, Max charged headlong into the fray in what could only be described as a berserker rage; even as some ponies dared get close enough to bite, he didn’t slow a beat as he tore through the ranks.

“This may be the first time I’ve ever seen a borderline psychotic break and been _glad_ about it.” Irene quipped sarcastically as she wiped her brow and weighed the Society’s options. “Max probably doesn’t have long before injury outweighs anger, especially once Big Papa goes after him. We need another plan…”

“Rushing Sylvie down won’t work,” Athena reported from Emily’s hand. “That monster of hers isn’t even winded yet, and he’ll still have plenty of backup even after Max’s rampage. We’re in no shape to take Sylvie head-on; if only we could somehow **disrupt** her control over the herd, we would have the opening we needed…!”

The Society nodded grimly, but Tavo bowed his head, considering a wild idea of his own. “I…might have a plan…but it’ll take a lot of power to pull off…” He moved to the center of the circle as Alcest replaced Emperor at his side.

“You sure you can handle it, Tavo?” Brian asked in concern. “Not doubting your ability…but if you’re thinking what I think you are…aren’t you worried Sylvie’s gonna get in _your_ head too?” He ignored the confused glances he received from his friends, clearly wondering just _what_ Tavo was planning.

“Just…trust me Brian…” The diminutive unicorn’s voice shook a little, but his cloudy gaze was fixed on the spider-bunny’s. “Please, just this once…let _me_ do something for _you_ …”

The rest of the Society still seemed apprehensive, but Brian smiled warmly and gave Tavo an encouraging nod that was quickly echoed by Tim. “Allow me to help, old friend… You’ll need all the _time_ you can get.” He pulled out his stopwatch before the stone stalagmites around them suddenly collapsed. “Because now…we have none.”

With that, Tim grabbed Tavo’s head and slammed down the stopper on his watch, releasing a massive wave of temporal energy that slowed the entire clearing to a crawl. From here, the two Equestrians could see the true extent of the dire situation; the Unicorn horde was diving at them from all sides, a bloodied Max was being swarmed by the few surviving Pegasi in the distance, and Big Papa was charging up a truly massive amount of flaming magic, clearly preparing to obliterate the entire mountainside before he let the Society survive _this_ fight.

 _Ffffff **fuuuck** …_ Tavo allowed himself a single mental cringe at the scene before nodding to Tim. _Thanks for the help, Tim; the rest is up to me. If there was ever a time for me to **not** fuck up completely…_” He shook off the cynical thought as Alcest touched either side of his horn with the tips of her tentacles; beside them, Tim surveyed the scene with small, economical movements. 

_I must be cautious…_ he mentally mused. _Every action I have to perform shortens this_ pause for thought _…but I cannot allow my friends to die either…_ He carefully observed the events crawling by, only moving to strike any mutants poised to attack his friends. Even in the all-but-frozen time, momentum precluded the need to make much of a cut; nevertheless, Tim silently urged Tavo to hurry.

To those affected the time distortion, the pegasus-man seemed to vanish into a blur as ponies began dying almost out of the blue and Tavo’s horn all but erupted with magic in an instant. Oh jeez…” Brian was utterly flabbergasted as one of the unicorns dropped from an instant slice to the back of its neck. “Since when could Tim use _this_ level of power? This makes his surgical procedure look like it was filmed in bullet time...”

“Whatever it is, it’s working...” Irene nodded to herself, using the opening to take flight and fire rockets at the horde below. Strangely, even these seemed to suddenly veer in other directions, always blowing up the thickest part of the herd’s formation.

Within the distortion, Tavo gave one more cry, clearly straining against the massive amount of magic he had charged. “I’m ready…Tim! Do…whatever…you gotta…do!” He reared up to blast a brilliant stream of magic into the sky, sending motes of blue energy floating down to the horde like snow. Seeing several sparks drifting into the mutant’s heads, Tim decided to make an all-or-nothing move of his own; thus, he spread his wings and made a mad dash for Big Papa.

“Your _time_ is up, Big Papa!” With a single mighty thrust, Tim drove his saber into the monstrous pony’s chest, right into the blue-glowing gap between two of his scales. The distortion suddenly collapsed on the point of impact, creating a temporal shockwave that sent both of them flying away from each other. Sylvie was nearly thrown from Big Papa’s back and Tim careened into his allies as Tavo’s fountain of magic surged out every ounce of power he charged.

“I made a promise…I swore I would do this…I have to do this…I need to… _need to_ … **S-Save…Them!!!** ” The little unicorn’s conviction remained strong even as his legs buckled; Alcest physically held his body up as the rain of magic continued. Every mote of energy found a place in a pony’s body one after the other, bringing the remaining monsters to a halt. The pegasi paused in their relentless biting of Max, the unicorns surrounding the Society skidded to a halt, and a pall of relative silence fell over the landing.

“The _fuck_ just happened!?” Dante asked what everyone was thinking as the fountain of energy finally sputtered out. Tavo was completely still as Alcest gently set him down on the ground, much to the concern of every other member surrounding them.

“…That was…such an intense light show~! I gotta hand it to that pony; he knows how to put on a _great_ spectacle for his own funeral~!” Sylvie giggled to herself as she basked in her imminent victory. “You’re out of options, Society shitheads! Checkmate - I win~!! And now…to quote Applejack from _Elements of Harmony, Part 1_ … **SOUP’S ON, EVERYPONY~!** ”

Sylvie began to laugh maniacally as she awaited the slaughter, but not one of her minions moved an inch; instead, they only stared at her blankly. “…Uh…Hello? Sylvie to everypony? I _said_ it’s time to end them! Go for it already! They can’t stop you anymore!”

The ponies stared for a moment longer before the unicorns all started to charge their magic. Sylvie crossed her arms in satisfaction until she noticed that the mutants still had all of their horns pointed at her. “Wha…Wh-WH-WHAT!?!?”

Before the evil fangirl had time to process what was going on, she found herself under attack by her own creations. The combined blast from hundreds of unicorns was too much for Big Papa’s barrier to handle, allowing it to punch through and strike the monstrous demon-pony right on his wounded chest. The blast sent Sylvie tumbling off of his back and landing flat on her ass, stunned speechless by the betrayal…until she heard a soft, pained laugh beside her. 

“Heh…hhh…hehe…” Despite the grievous magic burns covering the better portion of his body, Tsuneo’s amusement was palpable. “You always told me…‘ _it’s not checkmate ‘til you’re all outta moves…_ ’ …Well...” He moved his hand to show Sylvie a small remote-like device in his palm. “I guess… **this** is… _checkmate._ ” He pressed the large, single button as he finally passed out, giving Sylvie just enough time to realize what the squealing wheels behind her were…

“No…NO!!!” Turning back to Big Papa, Sylvie saw a small red beacon flashing on the black armor plates, recalling Tsuneo’s flourish as he dived… _That wasn’t for speed; he_ threw _that!_ The horrid realization dawned as Eli’s muscle car suddenly tore towards them with all the power its souped-up engine afforded it. With Big Papa too wounded to move, the green Mustang sped into him as fast as it could throttle, with contact setting off Tsuneo’s final attack: a pair of Ether Mines attached directly to the grill. The dual explosions instantly eviscerated the weakened demon into naught but parts. 

“NNNOOOOOOO!!!!” Sylvie’s agonized shriek drowned out Eli’s indignant howl as his car slowly rolled to a stop just before it tapped the rock face head on. He had seen the windows break and a long trail of fluid dripping from its severed hoses, but aside from that, the only real replacements needed would be the grill and lights - not that it softened the immediate blow to the chinchilla’s ego.

“Hah…Hahahah… You crazy bastards…” Brian couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he finally registered what had happened. “Pardon the irony, Eli…but…ain’t it funny how a car whose emblem is a _horse_ dealt the killing blow to Big Papa there?”

“Not helping, Brian… _not_ helping.” Eli’s dour tone deterred any response from Brian as Irene opened portals beneath Max and Tsuneo, depositing them with the rest of the group as they watched the remaining ponies converge on Sylvie from all sides.

“GET BACK!! I SAID _GET BACK!!!_ ” To the Society’s surprise, there was not a hint of fear in Sylvie’s voice - only madness and impotent fury. “I AM YOUR MASTER! I AM YOUR _CREATOR!_ **I GAVE YOU _LIFE!!!_** ”

“And now…they are going…to take _yours._ ” Despite being on the edge of consciousness after his wide-scale act of chronomancy, Tim grinned slyly as he leaned on Zuula for support. “Quite the… _irony,_ wouldn’t you say…? Your ponies…were made to…devour…those you hate…and now they are going…to devour…the one they love…”

“Indeed~” Zuula clicked in amusement. “To have your beloved ‘children’ turn on you with murderous intent must be a _terrifying_ prospect…I’ll relish the chance to see dear Sylvie experience it for herself~”

“Grrrr…!!” Sylvie’s glare went back to the Society despite her mortal peril. “You think this is _over!?_ You fuckers may have brought me down, but guess what? You’re gonna pay _tenfold_ for ruining my dream! While you were busy with me, the Azure Initiative went and **invaded** your stupid fucking HQ!!” She gave a mirthless, demented smile as several of her enemies visibly jumped at that revelation. “Hee hee hee hee…too bad, so sad! I may have lost this battle…but Team Weiss will win the war! …AND I’M TAKING THE _ENTIRE FUCKING BRONY COMMUNITY_ DOWN WITH ME!! ARE YOU _HAPPY_ NOW, YOU FANDOM-RUINING **FUCKFACES!?!** ”

“Yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah.” Dante mockingly flapped his hand like a mouth. “ _Famous Last Words,_ we get it. Hope you enjoyed ‘em, because we’re gonna _love_ watching you become pony food.”

“I’M SERIOUS!!!!” Sylvie howled. “THE PONY FANDOM IS **NOTHING** WITHOUT ME!!!! IT WILL _BURN AND DIE_ IN TEN! SECONDS! FLA-AAAAIIIYYEEEE!!!”

In her deluded rage, Sylvie forgot about the mutant ponies approaching her until they pounced on her with fangs bared. The villainous fangirl shrieked in agony as her rebellious creations tore at her flesh like greedy children taking candy from an unattended bowl on Halloween.

“AAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!” Despite the immense pain, Sylvie still managed to lift one hand at the Society, middle finger raised. “ _FUUUUUUCK YOOOOU,_ CRAP-SON SOCIETYY _YYYAAAAAAAAH!!!_ ” She redoubled her screams as a pegasus bit on her arm and yanked it back with enough force to break her elbow. “MY…AAAAAAH!!…MY POOR, STUPID PONIIIIIIEEEEEESSS!!!! I…EEEEYYAAAAAAARGH! I HOPE…AAAAAAARGH! …I HOPE YOU……FUCKING _CHOKE_ ON MEEEEE!!! YOU HEAR THAAAT!?!?! **_CHOOOKE OOON MMEEEEYYYAAAAAAAAUUUGH!!!!_** ”

“Aw, _come on!!!_ ” Becky shouted. “She goes out on a fucking _Day of the Dead_ reference?!”

“Hey, cut her some slack,” Scafe chided. “If I were dying as messily as she is right now, I wouldn’t have much in the way of witty death cries, either.”

By now, some of the mutant ponies had grabbed Sylvie’s legs in their mouths and tried to drag her deeper into the horde - however, due to the ponies already pinning her upper body down, they only succeeded in ripping their former master in half. Sylvie’s screams slowly degraded to gurgles and rasps as her onetime pets devoured her spilled organs, lapped up her pooling blood, and fought over who got to gnaw on her exposed bones. 

“CELE..S..TIA! …SA…VE…M..EEeeee….” With a final weak moan, Sylvie closed her eyes and let death take her. Moments later, the entire mutant horde collapsed on the spot, their bodies rapidly decomposing.

“Whoa! Look at that!” B.Nana gasped. “It’s like one of those crazy time-lapse videos…but in real life!”

“Yeah, the files mentioned that as well,” Brian said as he retook control of his body from Zeus. “Sylvie rigged her ponies with a ‘genetic killswitch’; if she died, they’d all disintegrate on the spot. Guess she didn’t want anyone stealing her secrets…”

“ _Or her self-awarded throne as ‘Goddess’ of the_ My Little Pony _fandom,_ ” Zeus deadpanned.

The spider-bunny shrugged as every last one of Sylvie’s mutant ponies faded into nothingness, in a matter of minutes, only the mangled remains of Sylvie herself remained on the landing. At last, the Society exhaled a collective breath they hadn’t known they were holding - some even laughed joyfully, knowing that their latest fight had finally reached its end.

“Heh…haha…HAHAHAHA!! _YES!!_ ” Dante whooped. “IT’S OVER! IT’S FINALLY OVER! We finally killed that pony-obsessed freak on a leash!”

“Yeah, but the cost was pretty steep...” Scafe looked back at the center of the group, where four of their number lay incapacitated to various degrees. Tim looked like he’d been on a 36-hour shift, Tsuneo like he’d been put in the oven and forgotten for the entire day, and Max like he’d been mauled by his ursine kin. Tavo was physically unmarred - albeit breathing shallowly and drenched in sweat - but the sparks coming off his horn spoke of a very severe loss of magic energy. “They should be fine once we get home…but _shit_ …”

“Yeah…” Eli spoke with clear worries for the whole group of infirm as he turned to Brian. “My car’s got the least problems to fix; just new lights and all kinds of fluid tubing. I can fill in the metal scratches later… I’ll drive the wounded home; the rest of you can catch your breath until I get back, you get the other two cars up and running, or Irene regains enough juice to throw up a return portal. Whichever comes first.”

The chinchilla’s instructions were answered with nods from the rest of his standing friends as they alternated between group repairs and hefting the infirm towards the Mustang. As they worked, they couldn’t help but think back to Sylvie’s final threats; namely, her mention of the Azure Initiative invading their home.

“Damn…these Azure fuckers are getting bolder,” Brian mused. “They’re willing to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives, _just_ to get a shot at us below the belt…and their efforts to off us are only going to get deadlier, pettier, and more dangerous for the world...”

“And their next attack will probably come the _second_ they find out we’re not at full manpower,” Juliet sighed gloomily. “Just like old fuckin’ times, eh Silk Butt?”

“At least we’ll get half of the losses back in short order,” Scafe noted. “Tsuneo’s gonna live up to his nickname and get better in no time…even if I’ve never heard him scream like that before…and Max is already used to wearing bandages over everything and recovering from intense battles way faster than he has a right to. They’ll probably be fighting fit by tomorrow morning…but Tim and Tavo aren’t so resilient. They’ll need a while to recover their strength…‘specially Tavo. It looks like he used every drop of his stamina _and_ magic back there; for a unicorn, that’s probably bad for his chances-”

“No way!” Brian interjected. “Tavo’s a helluva lot tougher than he looks; he’ll make it through just fine! We just gotta make sure he gets a nice long rest back home, and he’ll be back to his usual crazy self before we know it~!” Despite his efforts, everyone heard the note of desperate hope beneath his conviction, but no one wanted to prove him wrong; thus, they returned to evacuating their wounded and recuperating from their latest battle…

…completely oblivious to the figure observing them from the cliffs above.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Aahhh…what a great night out.” Weiss leaned back on the least-mangled recliner in the lounge as he mentally reviewed the damage he and his allies had wrought upon the Crimson Society headquarters in the last few hours. Every window had been broken, every wall and ceiling was defaced with slashes, burns, holes, and profane graffiti, every cupboard had been looted, and almost every furnishing had been vandalized in some fashion. All in all, it looked as if the place had been hit by a thunderstorm, a flash flood, and a whole city’s worth of looters in rapid succession.

“Gotta say, the old crew found a pretty nice place to call home.” Saturn idly bit into an apple as she strolled into the lounge. “The pantry was stocked with too much food for my babies to eat in one go - that almost _never_ happens.”

“Yeah, it’s a real dream home.” Amethyst sighed mock-wistfully from her perch on the arm of Weiss’s chair. “Almost makes me sad that we’ve fucked it over so thoroughly… _almost~_ ” She snickered to herself as she thought about the “special” surprises she had left around the building in preparation for the Azure Initiative’s follow-up plan.

“The Lord usually frowns upon petty vandalism…but this is divine retribution at work.” Purgatory’s rigidly disciplined posture was almost comically incongruent with the devastation around her - some of which was still being wrought by 1:30. “Now the Society’s home mirrors their innermost selves; a chamber of utter chaos and defilement befitting a demon’s thralls!”

“Hear hear!” Weiss took a swig from the beer can in his hand to hide his unimpressed reaction to the mad paladin’s overblown condemnation. “Almost makes me root _against_ Sylvie, if only so the Society shitbaskets live to see how we’ve _renovated_ their pad…fortunately, I doubt that prepubescent pony fucker will live up to expectations~” On cue, his communicator beeped, heralding a message from Quantum.

“Lord Weiss, you will want to withdraw to our base,” he began. “The Crimson Society has slain Miss Prower as predicted; they are preparing to return as we speak. It appears that there were no fatalities on their end…but some of their number are incapacitated and the rest are severely fatigued.”

“Well, I’ll be damned; she actually _exceeded_ my expectations.” Weiss shook his head in mild amazement. “Sylvie _actually_ got a lick in on the Crimson Cunts before she died…my awesomeness must’ve rubbed off on her. …And no sign of her ‘pets’, I take it?”

“Negative,” Quantum droned. “As per the data I gleaned from her files, Sylvie’s creations were tied to her own existence; her death led to their complete breakdown on a cellular level. I took the liberty of copying her records, if you wish it, we could… _replicate_ her procedures…” His uncharacteristic pauses betrayed his restrained disgust at the thought; fortunately for him, Weiss shared his distaste.

“ _Hell_ no, Quantum - delete those files, pronto! If I _never_ see another pony again - mutant or otherwise - it’ll be too damn soon; ‘sides, our next plan is already in motion.” Weiss grinned evilly as he rose from his chair. “The Society’s base is completely shot to hell and rigged with annoyances both mundane and… _exotic~_ ” He put an arm around Amethyst as she mirrored his malicious grin. “Plus, that USB you gave me is plugged right into their mainframe, so your prep work’s just about ready here too……Speaking of prep, what’s the status on **Project Five-for-One?** ”

“Approximately 84.199 percent complete,” the cyborg Zoroark replied. “Your collected DNA samples provided significant biodata from the founding Councilmen; coupled with Miss Kingsley’s technology schematics, the base template has improved significantly. Sylvie’s conflict with the Society has also provided ample data on the upper limits of their power and durability; I shall implement them into the project once I return. However…”

Weiss’s smile faded noticeably as Quantum hesitated. “However… _what?_ ” he pressed with just a hint of agitation.

“The combat data greatly exceeded initial projections,” Quantum explained. “I will need to make _significant_ modifications to ensure that the project can properly account for said upper limits - the estimated completion time has been set back by approximately two days…However, this _also_ means that the adjustments should be completed in concurrence with my _other_ preparations you’ve seen to facilitate; both my plan and the project will be ready simultaneously, affording the ‘double whammy’ of a dual assault.”

“Hmm…y’know what, I actually _like_ the sound of that!” Weiss’s smug confidence was back in record time. “Two days’ delay won’t mean much if they’re getting both barrels at once - and between their current condition and what we’ve done to their pad, they won’t even have a chance to _breathe_ before then~” Behind his shades, his eyes gleamed triumphantly as he imagined what would come next. “Keep up the good work, Quantum. Once the project is finished, launch your attack and put these second-rate scumlickers in their rightful fucking place - _six feet under!_ ”

“Affirmative, Lord Weiss. Quantum out.” When the mechanized Pokémon signed off, Weiss released Amethyst as he led the Initiative to the Society’s Teleporter Room. The chamber was relatively pristine compared to the rest of the building, but only because the Azures still had need of it; thanks to Quantum’s hacking, the Warp Pad was temporarily linked directly to their own base in Eukora Town. While Amethyst scurried around the room, checking innocuous nooks and crannies for something unseen, Weiss addressed his allies with palpable relish.

“You’ve all done me proud today,” he said. “With Sylvie fucking ponies in Hell and this place ready for demolition, the Azure Initiative is poised to put a long-overdue end to this feud! In just a few days…we’ll show those Crimson clowns who the _real_ master of the Nexus is~!” 

Weiss’s raucous laughter filled the Teleporter Room as Amethyst set the Warp Pad’s coordinates, giving herself just enough time to hop on before it sent her allies back to their own lair. Immediately afterwards, the console appeared to glitch out before deleting the coordinates from its databanks, covering the Azure Initiative’s tracks after their latest blow against the Crimson Society…

**THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN**


	6. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seems the Azure Initiative left a nasty surprise for the Society to return home to.

#  **Tales of the Society - The Azure Age**

## Chapter 5 Epilogue: Confessions

_**Last time on “Tales of the Society: The Azure Age”...** _

_Just when it seemed the Crimson Society would meet its end at the (mostly-figurative) hands of Sylvie’s horrible herd, a resuscitated Max made his move. Fuelled by righteous fury for the injustices Sylvie had wrought upon himself and the Nexus at large, the ex-assassin launched a one-bear assault on Sylvie’s forces; while he didn’t last long thanks to his lingering wounds, he gave Tim and Tavo the opportunity they needed for a plan of their own. Pushing their respective magic to their limits, the equine allies dealt a devastating blow to Big Papa through the use of Sylvie’s own horde._

_With Big Papa on the backfoot, a battered but determined Tsuneo finally set his gambit in motion to put an end to the demonic steed (with Eli’s good driver discount as an unfortunate but necessary casualty), leaving Sylvie all but helpless against her diminished but no less dangerous mutant minions. She died screaming and taking her killers with her (if only via the genetic killswitch she had built into her creations), leaving the Society down a handful of members…and with the knowledge that she was nothing but a **distraction** for the Azure Initiative to launch a full-scale assault on the Society’s home!_

_Fortunately for the tired and battered Society, Weiss didn’t think to set up a proper ambush to finish off his foes then and there._ Un _fortunately, the Initiative has plans of their own; they’ve put a nasty surprise in the Society’s computer network, set surprises all across their ransacked base, and made big steps towards completing “ **Project Five-for-One** ”, a mysterious weapon of sorts that Weiss expects will sound the death knell for the Crimson Society._

_However, all that is yet to come; for now, our heroes have a well-deserved chance to recuperate from their latest ordeal. We return to them three days after Sylvie’s demise, when the last of their injured finally awakens._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Tavo opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by all his friends. “W…wha-huh…?” he murmured.

“Well, well. Welcome back, sleeping beauty,” Juliet chuckled. “Sorry ‘bout the mess; we had to throw together this ‘Medical Ward’ on the fly when we got back.”

“Um…why does it look like y’all were looking at an open casket?” Tavo asked groggily.

“I don’t know; maybe it’s because you’ve been laying in bed for _three whole days._ ” Irene smiled despite her snark at the unicorn’s expense. “But it’s good to see you finally woke up-”

“Wait…wait, wait…three days?” Tavo jolted to full consciousness as he realized just how long he’d been out. “THREE DAYS?! I WAS OUT FOR _THREE DAYS?!_ ” He attempted to leap out of his bed, but only succeeded in slamming his face into the ground.

“OWW!” he yelped. “LAUREN FUCKING _FAUST_ , THAT HURT!!!”

A chorus of good-natured sighs and chuckles went around the room as Zuula picked Tavo up and set him back on the bed. “Easy there, bro,” Eli said. “You don’t wanna strain yourself too much after what happened back there.”

“Ugh…what _did_ happen? And why does my horn feel like it got smashed by a sledgehammer?” Tavo asked, rubbing his horn with a hoof.

“Nothing much, ‘cept for you apparently doing the impossible,” Emily chirped. “Tim said you pushed and _pushed_ and **pushed** yourself to your limit, and you managed to break the link between Sylvie and the mutant ponies!”

“Congrats bro~” Dante said, lightly punching Tavo’s shoulder. “You played the _big hero_ and saved our skins. Guess you’re not the pushover I thought you were.”

From the stunned look on Tavo’s face, his friends might as well have been speaking Esperanto. He blinked for a couple of minutes, looking between his friends and his horn, before everything finally seemed to register. “…I…I saved you all?” he whispered. “ _I_ did that? Me?”

“Well, of _course_ you did, you silly horse,” Irene laughed. “I have to admit, that was a pretty ballsy move back there. Never seen _that_ kind of magic power; Bunny Butt figured that you turned Sylvie’s hive-mind against her, letting the mutants unite against her themselves.”

“The way I heard it, it’s like you burst into a huge-ass club and got the _entire place_ to request a whole different genre from the DJ!” B.Nana added jovially. “That’s one hella strong mind you’ve got there, Tavo!”

“He he he…aww shucks…” Tavo smiled weakly, rubbing the back of his head. “I just did what any friend would have done. It was nothing…”

“ _It was nothing?!_ **IT WAS _NOTHING?!!_** ” Scafe bellowed incredulously, before a sharp nudge in the back from Becky brought his volume down. “What are you _talking_ about, man? You made a fucking _sky pillar_ out of magic to turn those ponies against their psycho master!” He paused to take a breath before gingerly rubbing Tavo on the head. “Brian always told us that there was something special about you, Tavo, and after seeing what happened back there, I gotta say…he was _not_ spitting bullshit.”

“Tavo, my good friend.” While Max’s expression was hidden behind his repaired mask, his warm appreciation was audible. “The Society may have saved me from Sylvie’s facility, and Tim and Dante may have saved me from her ponification…but _you_ saved _all of us_ in the end. None of us would be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Yeah, man. You really pulled through for all of us.” Eli nodded and gave Tavo the thumbs-up. “You the man, Tavo! …Sorry for all the times I doubted you.”

Tavo’s jaw hung open as everyone praised him for his heroic effort. With an effort, he shook his head and composed himself as Tsuneo stepped out of the crowd, much of his body wrapped in bandages, with the visible skin marred with old burns. 

“I’m not about to apologize for anything I’ve said about you and yours; if anything, this whole experience just solidified those feelings.” Seeing Tavo tense slightly, the undead warrior crouched down to look him in the eye, close enough that the unicorn could see his reflection in the metal of Tsuneo’s mask. “But. What you did there…turning an entire hive mind by yourself… I’ve never even _heard_ of any psyker or psionic capable of that kind of feat, let alone any magic user. Even I have to admit, you’ve impressed me. That’s no mean feat.”

Tavo’s vision blurred, but he could still make out the awestruck smile spreading across his reflected face. “You…you have no idea how much it means to me for _you_ , of all people, to say such things…” he whimpered, rubbing his forelimb across his watering eyes in a futile attempt to maintain his composure.

“Yeah…cue the flying pigs, huh…?” A weak chuckle escaped Tsuneo as a sting of pain ran through his burn scars. “Lucky you; you’re the _only_ one of your kind I’ll ever respect - and not by virtue of your power, like any Nexian would after seeing that… No, for the _reason_ that power came out at all…the friends you’ve made; the strength of heart you showed just to protect those bonds. You’ve exemplified the reasons why we formed this Society in the first place.” He caught the eyes of his fellow Councilmen before whispering his next words at a volume that only Tavo could hear.

“And when it comes to strength of character…you might actually be the _strongest_ one in this room, if _that’s_ the kind of power it can bring out.”

Now Tavo was crying openly, touched by everyone’s kind words. “Guys… I…I’m so happy to have you all…” he choked out in between happy sobs. “Each and every one of you…brings something special…to my life. I…I know some have doubted me…b-but I used those doubts as a way to better myself. I didn’t want to lose…any of you. Not Brian. Not Max. Not Tsuneo, not Emily or Dante or Tim… No one… You have all done _so much_ for me…ever since I became part of this group. I…I wanted to give back. I wanted to be the one to return the favor.” He sniffled as a smile crept up his lips. “…I guess you could say I had a _Teddie Moment._ ”

Without warning, Emily suddenly glomped Tavo, tears of joy escaping her own eyes. “Oh, quit spouting sappy crap and gimme a hug!!”

Despite his surprise at the sudden hug, Tavo gladly returned it even as he continued to weep with joy. “Oh, thank you guys…for everything…” he said, trying to express his gratitude with mere words. “Now…could you give me a moment with Brian, please? I’d like to speak with him alone…”

Tsuneo nodded and stood up - shuddering slightly as another shot of pain ran through his numerous scars - before beckoning the others to follow him out of the room. Once Brian was the only one left, he pulled up a chair and sat next to Tavo’s bed.

“Brian…bro…thank you,” Tavo began. “There aren’t words to describe how appreciative I am to you. It’s all thanks to you that I have all this… I don’t know what life would have been like for me if you had never found me, given me a home and basically raised me into what I am now…I don’t know where I’d be now if it wasn’t for you.”

“You’re welcome, Tavo.” Brian smiled. “Truth be told, I was _not_ expecting this much to happen in your life. You went from an abandoned foal to a grown colt who’s been through a lot of hardships and struggles, and you’ve overcome them all with the help of those who care about you.”

“My friends were the best thing that happened to me…” Tavo said. “But you were just a bloody miracle…” Despite the protests of his stiff muscles, he forced himself up to give Brian a hug, renewed tears flowing onto his friend’s shoulder. Brian embraced him in return, patting his back.

“Aww, c’mon man,” the spider-bunny gently chided. “Whatcha cryin’ about now?”

“I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t find me!” Tavo wailed. “I would have been alone, hell…even dead…I’m so _scared_ of being alone, of not having someone to love…or having a family like my own…”

“Don’t worry, Tavo. The nightmare of loneliness is over.” Brian replied softly. “You have a family now: me, Emily, and all of your friends. Never forget that, Tavo: no one here will _ever_ abandon you.”

The two of them sat like that for a while before Brian coughed pointedly in his mind. _Ahem!_

“ _…What?_ ” Zeus responded.

_You’ve been awfully quiet,_ Brian thought. _Don’t YOU have a few words to say to Tavo?_

_What, and ruin this moment of “bromance”?_ Zeus snorted. _If you insist…_

Brian smiled and raised his right hand, putting Zeus’s palm mouth right next to Tavo’s face as the Parasite considered his words. “ _Well…I won’t lie and say that I didn’t have my doubts about you, Tavo. Any of us Parasites would take one look at you and determine that you have nothing to offer when it comes to large groups like this._ ” He paused to gauge Tavo’s reaction - when no sign of dismay or offense appeared, he continued.

“ _However…that all changed when I got to know you. I couldn’t have said what made Brian take you in, but now I can see that special ‘power’ everyone is talking about. You’ve taken my expectations about ponies and tossed them aside, so I guess what I’m trying to say is… You are_ not _useless. You_ are _worth something. And…it’s an honor to actually be fighting and living alongside with you._ ”

“Wow, Zeus…” Tavo said with a smile. “That…may as well be the nicest thing I have ever heard from a Parasite. Thanks, man…” He then clasped Brian’s hand between his hooves - the closest approximation of a hug he could think of.

“ _Yeah, yeah, don’t get used to it… This is the_ only _time I’ve ever gotten sappy…_ ” Zeus grumbled.

“Hey, that is _not_ true!” Brian interjected, pulling his hand away from Tavo to frown at Zeus. “What about the time when you, me, Emily, and Athena were fighting Hades? You _totally_ got super sappy with me!”

“ _Don’t push me Brian, or I’ll strangle you with your own hands!_ ” Zeus growled. 

“If you could do _that,_ you would’ve done that when you first infected me!” Brian retorted.

“ _I **did** do that when I first infected you!_” Zeus snarled back. “ _After you utterly_ humiliated _me in front of my brethren!_ ”

Tavo only chuckled to himself as his friend bickered with his Parasite. “If this is what happens to anyone who gets a Parasite, I’m glad I’m just myself. No offense, Zeus. ”

“ _…Just be glad that Athena, Demeter and I are the most intelligent Parasites out of the whole bunch…_ ” Zeus growled. 

“Yeeep… But seriously, Brian…thank you,” Tavo repeated. “You’ve changed my life for the better. I’m _so_ glad to have met you.”

“The feeling is mutual, my bro…” Brian said, giving Tavo one last hug.

“Yeah…now…can you do me one little favor?” Tavo asked. 

“Sure, just name it.”

“Can you _please_ get me an ice pack for my horn…?” Tavo paused as something else came to him. “Oh, and please get me in touch with Coco. I know she’ll be worried sick about me.”

“No problem, man.” Brian gave Tavo a final pat on the back before getting up and walking out of the room. Alone with his thoughts, the unicorn laid back in his cot, closing his eyes with a smile. 

“…You did it, Tavo…” he whispered to himself. “...You finally proved yourself worthy…to Brian…to everyone…”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Tsuneo had returned to his room to examine his arms; they were healing, but far more slowly and painfully than he had ever seen them. He was pondering on the cause when a knock on his door prompted him to turn.

“I don’t need more ice; the burning stopped yesterday.” He masked a chuckle as he guessed who was knocking. “And I appreciate the thought, Scafe, but everything’s settled. You can stop checking in-”

“Um…Tsuneo…?” A small female voice interrupted. “It’s not Scafe…it’s Irene. Mind if I come in?”

Tsuneo started a little at that, before turning fully to face the door “…Door’s open…” A moment later, Irene entered the room, her wings tinged blue.

“At least the burning stopped…” Irene let out a sigh before glaring at him, the anger not quite reaching her eyes. “…fuck, why in the Nine Circles of Hell would you _do_ that?!”

The outburst made Tsuneo look up curiously. “The dive, the gamble, or the charbroiling?” His casual tone made Irene start. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think it’d hurt like that; you know I’ve managed fire before, and I still haven’t figured out exactly _why_ it did that, but _damn_ if it didn’t make a decisive play.”

Irene’s frown deepened at the self-congratulating tone in Tsuneo’s modulated voice. “Was it worth it, being hurt by magical flames?”

“Yeah. Not a question in my mind.” Tsuneo gave an earnest nod, sitting upright as the tension in the room escalated with Irene’s growing concern. “There were other ways to kill her with less risk to myself, sure, but they would’ve taken more time that we clearly didn’t have. Death can’t claim me, but the rest of you are fair game - was I supposed to sacrifice you for my own sake!?” His arms tingled unpleasantly as the glow in their veins intensified with his conviction. “I wouldn’t be able to **live** with myself, knowing I was the good man doing nothing as the rest of you _died!_ ”

Irene’s silver eyes met Tsuneo’s glinting red lenses, but all of her anger suddenly drained out of her. “Just… _please_ don’t do that again, okay?” she whispered as tears started to form. “I’m good with fire, chemicals, and nukes; you’d need to see my brother on the healing front.”

Seeing that Irene had calmed down somewhat, Tsuneo allowed himself to slump slightly as his burns not-so-quietly re-asserted their presence. “You think something as trivial as worry for my safety’s gonna stop me from doing everything in my power to protect you all? I do this kind of stuff so none of _you_ have to. I take injuries none of you have to take…because I _can_ endure them. The risk that you can’t withstand it…is a risk I won’t take.”

“Gods above, you’re going to be the death of me…” Irene replied softly. “I’ve heard screams like that before - a gamble is _not_ worth that pain.”

“…When lives are on the line, no pain is too great.” Tsuneo responded as if this was a second-nature rule to him, despite the full body burns he was still recovering from. “Pain is just something I’m used to, and I’ll take as much as I have to if it means you all get out alive…” He let the thought hang in the room before adding. “That’s all I care about. Pain, fear and hesitation all take a backseat to you guys.”

Irene chuckled as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, her wings returning to their normal red. “…Welp, now I see why you wear a face mask. You’ve _obviously_ got a history of head injuries.”

“…Smartass.” Tsuneo gave a chuckle of his own, shaking his head at Irene’s comment. “…Look, you’ve got plenty of talent; don’t think I wasn’t watching while you were helping protect the center line, or when you used that invaluable portal power that saved us from the facility going up in flames. You care about this group too, Irene…and I can see you pushing yourself that much harder because of- nngh?!” He was brought out of his analysis when Irene suddenly caught him in a hug - more from the shock of pain through his body than the gesture.

“…You are an asshole. I was actually worried…no, _scared_ for you,” she whispered.

“Aaaagh…” The revenant groaned dully at the pain quickly fading out of the interaction. “F-fair, fair, I guess…hah…I deserved that too.”

Belatedly remembering Tsuneo had _full-body_ injuries, Irene pulled back with a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry, but I get quite scared if my friends are hurt, and well…” She shrugged casually, but the blue-and-white blotches on her wings implied far deeper doubts. “You and Brian are the only friends I have here.”

Tsuneo chuckled to himself, despite the soreness. “… _Had,_ ” he corrected. “Remember, Irene; we’re all in this together…these guys and gals are _all_ your friends now. Don’t _ever_ forget that, okay? The whole Society has your back…always.”

Irene’s eyes wavered slightly before she composed herself. “…Thanks.” She nodded as her wings turned red once more. “Then I guess I’ll leave you to tend your burns and see about helping the rest out.”

“Good,” nodded Tsuneo. “After the Azure Initiative’s little “house call”, we have to hit ‘em back hard…and after that, find a new base. We’re in no condition to move with Tavo and Tim incapacitated…once they’ve recovered, we need to relocate from this compromised location. . I expect you’ll be ready with the others once that time comes.”

Irene replied with a mock salute. “Take your own advice, _sir._ We’ll try to save some of ‘em for you when you get better, but…” She gave him a jaunty wink as she turned away. “… _no promises._ ”

Tsuneo smiled behind his mask before waving Irene off and lying back on his bed, the gears in his head turning as he tried to rationalize the subtle burning he still felt from his wounds. But during his pontification, his train of thought quickly derailed to consider a _different_ burning sensation; one he wasn’t able to shake since he got home and woke up; one that wasn’t physical in nature, but provided comparable levels of confusion and discomfort in equal measure.

One that seemed to flare up whenever Irene was involved.

_Again with her...what is going on, me…?_

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, Start the Shipping~

**Author's Note:**

>  _My Little Pony_ belongs to Hasbro.
> 
> I am LadyIrene #2020 on Discord and Insanity_Lady on Twitter.


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